The Suite Life After All
by Peace Sign Freak
Summary: Along with myself there have been other authors who didn't feel as though the Suite Life had such a "Suite Ending" so we have joined together to have a combined story. This will pick up at an appropriate time after TSLOD. Please read, review and enjoy. On hiatus until further notice.
1. Moving On

**Warning for readers: **Before reading, all readers should know something. I know that there is another author has a similar project going on but I want to let you guys know that there was collaboration going on but things got complicated and the said author and I have decided to split up the project into separate yet similar projects. Please do not judge either one of us. It's kind of like when a married couple gets divorced and they're better off that way. In a way it's a "happy divorce" so to speak. I hope you enjoy the story.

Part One

Cody Martin woke bright and early ready to have a great start of his last week of summer break as the morning sun would soon rise after him. Earlier in the summer after he had found out that he was rejected from his dream school, Yale University after graduating as a Co-Valedictorian with his girlfriend, Bailey Pickett, from Seven Seas High. Since Cody wanted to get down to the bottom of this problem, he didn't waste any time finding out why he was rejected. During the first two weeks of his summer break, Cody had to occupy himself from missing his Bailey Bunny too much by getting to the bottom of the issue of him being rejected from Yale. After many hours on the phone, the intelligent Martin twin had found out some disturbing news. Over the phone with an admissions guy from Yale, Cody found out that his transcripts got mixed up. He asked whose transcripts got mixed up with his but he didn't get an answer. All he got was a dead line.

As the two weeks came and passed, Cody met Bailey at the Mathlympics. The two young lovers teamed up and crushed the Albanians such as Bailey had predicted. After a victory kiss Cody was hesitant at first to tell Bailey but he knew he could trust her with such sensitive information. Cody told Bailey about the mixed up transcripts and figured out that it was Mr. Tipton's responsibility for the mixed up transcripts, Bailey was sad yet tried to comfort Cody as best as she could but as Bailey told her city boy positive words of encouragement, she became more and more irritated with Mr. Tipton as she thought about Cody's rejection. He deserved an acceptance letter without a doubt. The brown eyed, light brunette farm girl assured her city boy that he would be at Yale with her one way or another.

After much persuasion, Bailey helped Cody get into Yale with the threat of exposing Mr. Tipton's scams and plots to the St. Marks to Mr. Tipton over the phone. Bailey also included to Wilfred Tipton that she could always ask London what other operations he was planning to do and inform the St. Marks so that he would be ruined as a business man. Highly disgruntled, Mr. Tipton huffed as he said he would fix the mistake that he overlooked for Cody's mixed up transcripts. A few weeks later, Cody got a phone call that he got into Yale University and he was enrolled as a first-time freshmen starting in the fall of 2011. The younger Martin twin was so ecstatic that he called Bailey for the good news. She heard from Cody back on her family farm when she had just finished picking a basket full of peaches. The rest of the summer went along well enough after Cody got accepted and enrolled as a student at Yale University.

With all that had happened to Cody Martin, he saw the world in a better perspective. Recently, he had received a call from his little Hay Bail and was informed that she would be in Boston with him for a week before they would move in into the dorms at their dream school together. Needless to say Cody was very happy to see his Bailey on such a happy day since she would be coming to the Boston Tipton in a few short hours.

As Cody did his typical morning routines, whistling a happy tune to himself while making breakfast, his brother Zack was rolling out of bed, literally. Zack grumbled and mumbled as he was irritated with Cody's happy whistling tune. He dragged his butt out of his and Cody's bedroom and opened the door. The older Martin twin shuffled his bare feet across the floor and lightly whacked his young twin brother in the shoulder. Cody flinched from the pain and glared at his brother.

"What was that for Zack", Cody yelled in a whisper as to not wake up their mom.

"Would keep your happy-go-lucky attitude somewhere else? It sickens me", Zack yelled back in a whisper.

"Are you still sore about Maya", Cody asked.

"NO", Zack lied.

"Are you", Cody persisted.

"Yes", Zack lamely replied.

"I thought you wouldn't be too grumpy about Maya by now", Cody asked.

"Well, I'm not", Zack angrily huffed.

"I'm sorry, Zack but I can't keep myself from being happy knowing that Bailey will be here in a few hours", Cody said.

"Hm", Zack grunted.

"Zack, I think that it's fair that I should be allowed to happy with Bailey. I mean you never stopped yourself from loving Maya when clearly I was still heartbroken when Bailey and I were broken-up after a really stupid misunderstanding", Cody responded.

"Fine. You and Bailey can be happy just try not be all mushy in front of me", Zack said.

"Thanks, buddy. I know you're still going through some rough times but I'm sure things will get better", Cody said.

"How are thing going to get better for me", Zack asked.

"You just need to keep your eyes open and an opportunity will come to you. Maybe you enroll in some classes at a community college or get a job", Cody suggested.

"I'll think about it", Zack said.

"What are you going to do now", Cody asked.

"I'm going back to bed. You may like being up early in the morning but I sure don't. Wake me up when it's time for lunch", Zack responded.

"Ok, sure thing, Zack", Cody replied.

"Thanks, Code Red", Zack said.

Zack turned back on his heels and went straight back to bed and fell asleep. Cody went back to cooking breakfast and muttered under his breath that it wasn't that early in the morning. In fact, it was eight in the morning but the curtains were closed so there was an illusion to give the effect of it being five in the morning. Cody continued to cook breakfast for a little while longer by himself. Soon enough his mom would wake up and join him but until then, Cody was alone.

For ten more minutes, Cody stood awake by himself finishing off cooking turkey bacon and eggs. Carey Martin woke up to the smell of bacon being cooked. As she got up from the couch, Cody was in process of placing the food on the table at setting it with the necessary amount of silverware. Carey saw Cody setting the table and inwardly smiled at her youngest son, Cody. She was so proud of him for all that he has accomplished and was happy for him that he finally got in the college of his dreams with the girl of his dreams. Carey recalled her and Kurt's first meeting with the famed girlfriend of their youngest, Bailey Pickett and she couldn't be more pleased with their first meeting. Bailey made quite an impression not only on Cody and their friends but she also made a great impression on Carey and Kurt. Carey had a good feeling that even though Cody and Bailey had broken up once that deep down in her heart they would get married someday. Even though Carey has only seen Bailey once, she already liked her and hoped that the nice and intelligent farm girl would someday become her daughter-in-law. The prospect of having Bailey as a daughter-in-law excited Carey and causes her to have a grin on her face.

Carey Martin walked over to the set table and looked straight at Cody. The younger twin looked at his mother as he could feel her eyes looking at him. Carey smiled at her younger son as she sat down at the table. Cody followed his mom's actions and sat down opposite from her at the table as well.

"Good morning, mom", Cody greeted.

"Good morning, sweetie", Carey said.

"Mom! Please, that's highly embarrassing", Cody whined.

"What? I can't call you sweetie but Bailey can", Carey challenged.

"Ok, fine. Sorry", Cody mumbled.

"It's ok, Cody", Carey replied.

"Do you want me to serve your breakfast for you, mom", Cody asked.

"No thank you, Cody. I can serve myself by thank you for the offer. You're such a sweet guy and I'm lucky to be your mom", Carey replied.

As Carey Martin piled on some food on her plate, Cody stared off into space thinking about what he was going to do once Bailey got to the Tipton. He was thinking that he should show bailey around the Tipton and introduce her to some of the employees. Once Carey was done taking her share of the food, she reached over the table with her right arm and nudged Cody because to her he seemed to be in a trance. Cody quickly came to his senses after he felt his mom nudge him in the arm. The tidy twin looked over at his mother who had a curious look on her face.

"Cody what were you thinking about", Carey asked.

"I was thinking about Bailey and how I would show her around here", Cody answered.

"Oh that sounds nice. When is she coming?" Carey responded.

"She's going to be here by eleven, so in a few hours she'll be here", Cody replied.

Carey took a few bites of her breakfast while Cody talked to her. She mentioned to Cody that he should start eating some breakfast as well. Cody realized that he hadn't piled on any amount of food on his plate. He quickly scooped up some eggs and few pieces of bacon on his plate. Carey made sure Cody had something in his stomach before he talked again. While Cody chewed his food, Carey was thinking on how Bailey would be getting to Boston on her own when she's from Kettlecorn, Kansas. Carey looked back at her youngest son who had just finished chewing his food.

"Cody?" Carey inquired.

"Yeah, mom", Cody asked in response.

"How is Bailey going to come here by herself", Carey asked with a concerned tone.

"She's not coming by herself. Her mom is coming with her", Cody explained.

"So Mrs. Pickett will be here", Carey quizzically asked.

"Yes, mom", Cody replied.

"I would like to meet Mrs. Pickett", Carey happily responded.

"I'm sure you will", Cody said.

"And Cody", Carey asked again.

"Yeah, mom", Cody questioned in response.

"How come Bailey will be in Boston a week before you two have to move-in into the dorms at Yale", Carey wondered.

"That's because she and I thought that it would be best to be with each other when we would have to move-in so that by the time we get settled in our rooms on campus and we have nothing else to do but wait for the first day of instructions then we would prefer to have each other to do something", Cody systematically explained.

"Oh wow. Well, that makes sense", Carey replied.

"To be honest, mom, I'm really excited to see Bailey again", Cody happily stated.

"I can understand why but Cody don't get too excited when you see her or else you're just going to end up make Bailey just a little bit un comfortable", Carey warned.

"Mom, I don't think that I'm going to make Bailey even so slightly uncomfortable around me. I plan to be with her for a very long time, maybe even for the rest of my life and I don't intend to make her uncomfortable in any way, shape, or form", Cody sternly stated.

"Ok", Carey snickered.

"What's so funny", Cody asked with an affronted tone of voice.

"Nothing, it's just that I think it's adorable that even though you're so very young, you seem to know that you possibly want to spend the rest of your life with Bailey. I have a good feeling that you will but I find it slightly humorous how you're so sure and set of Bailey being your soul-mate", Carey said.

"I guess you're right", Cody bashfully replied as he hid his blush behind his napkin.

Carey smiled at Cody as she watched him across the table attempting to hide his blush from the mention of Bailey being his soul-mate behind a napkin. Carey giggled a little bit more before finishing eating her breakfast. Cody soon got over his embarrassment and finished eating his breakfast as well. Once the two intelligent Martin family members finished their breakfast, Carey thanked Cody for the breakfast and started to clean the dishes. Cody offered to help Carey but she politely declined his offer and told him to enjoy the day before he would have to prepare for Bailey and Mrs. Pickett's arrival at the hotel. Cody thanked his mom for the permission to take it easy for the rest of the morning before he would have to go down to the lobby to greet Bailey and Eunice Pickett. Cody went ahead and made the couch, sat down on it and turned the television on and watched the discovery channel.

For the last hour and a half, Cody had watched plenty of discovery channel shows he decided to change it up a bit and switched to the history channel. He was so enthralled with the documentary 'episodes' as he was very into the current documentary that was being used which was the Battle at Gettysburg. The younger dirty blonde haired twin of Viking decent watched the history channel for another hour. He checked his watch and noticed that he had thirty minutes to greet his love of his life and her mother who had graced the world with his girlfriend's birth. Sure Cody might been thinking of Bailey in high regards but he wasn't bothered by the thought since he truly was in love with his girlfriend, Bailey. Cody went into the bathroom and comber his hair to straighten out smaller strands of blonde hair to look presentable for Bailey and Eunice. Before Cody left the bathroom, he used his aqua pick to quickly clean out any unwanted pieces of turkey bacon that might have been stuck in between his sensitive gums and white teeth.

Once Cody left the bathroom, he checked his watch again and saw that he used up ten minutes out of thirty minutes that he had and decided to go down to the lobby at the moment in time. Cody announced to his mom, Carey, that he would go meet Bailey and Eunice. Carey stopped Cody before he left.

"Cody, are you bring Bailey and Mrs. Pickett up here or should I come with you. I don't want to miss a chance meeting your little girlfriend's mom", Carey asked.

"Mom, please don't use embarrassing names when referring to Bailey. I don't know how you can keep up with embarrassing me most of the time", Cody whined.

"Well, I'm sorry, Cody, but soon I won't be able to tease you that much and I want to do as much as possible", Carey rationalized.

"You have Zack", Cody countered.

"You two may be twins but it wouldn't be the same without you here", Carey said.

Cody sighed and then looked at his mom. He patted her on the left shoulder and smiled at her. He removed his hand from her shoulder.

"Okay mom you can embarrass me but please try to keep it to a minimal", Cody responded.

"Sure thing, sweetie", Carey happily replied.

"Okay, mom. Let's go meet Bailey and her mom, Mrs. Pickett", Cody suggested.

Carey gave a short nod to the head to Cody and with that the mother son pair went down to the lobby of the Boston Tipton hotel. When they arrived at the lobby, Cody and Carey were a few minutes early. To be precise, they were ten minutes early. Cody couldn't wait for ten minutes so he thought that he should go talk to Esteban who was behind the desk that Mr. Moseby used to work at. Carey idly watched her youngest son walk over to a friend. She sat down and Cody grow up into a fully matured young man right as the seconds ad minutes passed by right before her eyes. Time sure seems to go by when raising kids. As Carey looked back on days of her sons' youth, Cody struck up a conversation with Esteban at the same time.

"Hey, Esteban", Cody said.

Esteban turned around from behind the desk and faced Cody. He had a smile on his face.

"Oh, hello, Cody. How are you today", Esteban asked in response.

"I'm fine. I'm actually excited to meet Bailey in a few minutes", Cody answered.

"Oh that's right, Bailey's coming. I too am happy to see her again. You got yourself a real beauty", Esteban replied.

"Thanks, Esteban. Say, how's you and Francesca's life going?" Cody responded.

"It's been grand. My momma finally approves and has been teaching guitar lessons back at our village. Thank you for asking, Cody", Esteban happily replied.

"That's nice to hear that your mom has a joy in life that doesn't involve looking after you", Cody commented.

"Yes, it has been a blessing and it's all thanks to Bailey. She's the one who got London involved to help momma and Francesca to bond over dinner or at least to find a hobby for my mom", Esteban said.

"That reminds me, I need to keep a look out for when Bailey and her mom arrives", Cody noted.

"Well, I hope Bailey and her mom come soon", Esteban replied.

"Thanks Esteban. It was nice talking to you", Cody said.

"Oh it was my pleasure, Cody", Esteban said.

Cody waved walked back and waved behind him to Esteban. He walked at the front steps of the lobby and looked at his watch for the third time in the morning. He looked at it and calculated that Bailey and Eunice should come through the doors in just a few moments. While Cody waited in anticipation for Bailey's arrival, Carey leaned over to see what Cody was doing and peeked over from a magazine that she began to read. Carey looked at the expression on Cody's face and knew it would be close to the time to meet Bailey and Eunice. Carey dropped the magazine back on the table that she picked it up from and stood up.

The impending moment finally came when there were two female figures seen through the transparent glass of the rotating doors of the Tipton. Just outside the Tipton, Bailey and Eunice were looking up at the majesty of the building that Zack and Cody grew up in for four years as young teenagers. The two women were in awe at the site. They looked back at the front rotating doors and were taking a moment before they went through the threshold that would take them into the lobby of the Boston Tipton Hotel. Bailey was ready to take some load off as she had a backpack on and carried a bag on one her shoulders and carried a bag in each hand. As for Eunice, she was carrying two small trunks that were stacked against each other. Bailey and Eunice were greeted by the doorman and went through the rotating doors. When the two women came through the doors they were greeted by a welcoming and smiling face by none other than Cody Martin himself.

Bailey had a huge smile on her face as she was finally able to see her feller once more before they had to embark together to the campus of Yale University. Bailey carefully walked down the steps and came face-to-face with her Cody. Bailey was stilling beaming at him.

"I'm glad to see you Bailey", Cody happily greeted.

"I'm glad to see you too, Cody", Bailey said.

"Could I get some bags for? It looks like your arms are going to fall off", Cody offered.

"Oh sure, Cody. Thank you", Bailey said.

Bailey nicely handed Cody two of her bags and he held close in his hands. Cody looked back at his beautiful Bailey's Comet. He smiled at her even more.

"Well I guess we will have enough time to catch up with each other and finally have a 'hello' hug from each other once we get you settled in", Cody said.

"And don't forget what comes with the 'hello' hug. There's also the 'I missed you' kiss", Bailey added on.

"That would be nice", Cody commented.

Carey walked over to the trio. She wanted to introduce herself to Eunice.

"Well before we help Bailey get settled in, I would like to say I'm Carey Martin and I'm glad to meet you Mrs. Pickett", Carey said to Eunice.

Eunice smiled at Carey.

"It's so nice to meet you Carey Martin, I'm Bailey's mother, Eunice Pickett", Eunice replied.

"Do you need help", Carey asked.

"That is mighty fine of you to ask. I sure would appreciate your help. If it's too much trouble, could you take one trunk?" Eunice happily replied.

"Sure thing", Carey responded.

Carey took a trunk from Eunice's arms and helped her a great deal since anything stacked is going to be heavy. Carey carefully cradled the small trunk in her slim arms.

"Now all that is left is getting Bailey to a room", Carey said.

At the very moment that Carey said that, London came parading through the rotating doors and announced that she has come back from Paris. She donned pink and red shopping bags on her arms.

"I'm here, London Tipton. Little me back from Pierre", London happily announced.

"London", Bailey happily stated.

"Who said my name", London asked.

"I did", Bailey said.

London looked around and couldn't find the owner of the voice.

"Why does the voice sound like farm girl's voice? What her name again", London asked herself.

"London, turn your head. It's me, Bailey", Bailey said.

London turned her head and though that she was hallucinating. She spotted her long-time roommate and friend Bailey Pickett. She got excited and clapped her together before stepping down to meet Bailey.

"Oh, Bailey, you're here", London said while quickly hugging her.

"Hi, London. It's so nice to see you", Bailey hugged London back.

"But what are you doing here at the Tipton", Bailey and London asked simultaneously.

"You go first", Bailey said.

"Well, as you know I was off to Paris for another fabulous shopping trip or should I say Pairee", London started.

"You mean pa-ree", Bailey asked.

"What do you mean", London asked.

"In French, Paris is pronounced pa-ree. But it's spelt the same way in English as it is in French", Bailey explained.

"Whatever, I need to go back to my story", London said.

"Go ahead", Bailey replied.

"But Daddy cut me off and said I had return back here in Boston because he said two poor kids almost cost him money by complaining about some transcript, whatever that is. He said he could almost remember their names but didn't want to bother remembering them", London explained with a moan.

Cody and Bailey gave each other an awkward look towards each other. They were for sure that Wilfred Tipton would remember them since they caused trouble for him. But they also thought how ironic the situation was. London came back from her dazed stated after pouting and turned her attention towards Bailey again.

"So farm girl, why are you here? Couldn't stay away from brain boy? Why would you want to be near him? He's afraid of germs and you're a germ", London critically asked.

Cody had an affronted expression etched on his face and Bailey was considering of throwing out the cd that London made for her because after high school she had said that she was going to miss London teasing her every day. Bailey looked at Cody momentarily and gave him a look that said: 'don't let her words get you down'. The light brunette haired girl turned back to her friend. Instead of retaliating, Bailey decided to ignore London's criticism and answered one of her questions.

"Well, actually London, you're half right. It's true that I can't stay away from Cody but I'm also here to have a heads-up on leaving for Yale. Cody and I thought that it would be best to leave for college together so that we have someone with us while doing some activities for the incoming Freshmen class to get used to the campus", Bailey explained.

"Ugh you two are glued to the hip. Nothing could separate you two and I'm sorry to say but that's weird", London said.

"Well, it's been chatting with you London but I have to get a room", Bailey said.

"Why do you need to get a room? You could barely afford decent clothes to wear back in high school", London said.

"That is not the point, London", Bailey calmly stated.

"I can just pay a room for you", London offered.

"Oh no, London, I couldn't accept your offer. It's ok, I'll find another way to get a room", Bailey protested.

"Nonsense, Bailey. You're my friend, tragically brain boy's girlfriend and a friend of a few Tipton employees here. I don't see the problem of you getting a paid room by me. Think as it as a 'thank you' for all the years that you had put up with me and helping me when I needed help", London said.

"Well if you put it that way, I guess that it's okay", Bailey caved.

"How long will you be staying", London asked.

"For a week", Bailey replied.

"Then it's settled", London triumphantly stated.

London sauntered over to Esteban's desk and asked for a room for Bailey. Esteban was happy give a key to the room that Bailey would be staying at. London paid for the room for Bailey to stay in. Luckily, London requested Esteban to book a room for bailey either on the 23rd floor or the 25th floor. Esteban got a room on the 23rd floor and the room happened to be across the way of the Martins' suite. Esteban offered to give Bailey a free night but Bailey politely declined the offer. Esteban retrieved the key from the key wall and gave it to London. Bailey was about to show her appreciation towards London and say thank you but London dropped the key on the trunk that Carey was holding.

"I can't stay for much longer. My precious Ivana is way overdue for her doggy therapy and seaweed mask appointment. I need to go up to my room to get her", London explained.

London simply went up in the elevator to her room on the 25th floor to get Ivana. Cody and Bailey just exchanged weird looks with each other as well as their mothers. Even though all four people were all associated with London, it sort of puzzled then why she placed the key where she placed it. Cody shrugged his shoulders and brushed off London's action. He probably thought that she didn't know how to give the key since everyone had their hands full. Cody walked up to the side step that led to the elevator and looked at the three females.

"Well we might as well, we should get the luggage up to Bailey's new room", Cody stated.

"Cody's right, let's go", Carey agreed.

Cody pressed on the up button for an elevator to come down and take them back up to the 23r floor. Cody had let his mom, Mrs. Pickett, and Bailey to enter the elevator before him. Carey and Eunice thanked Cody and Bailey gave him a quick peck on the cheek as her way of saying thank you to him. Cody smiled at the soft touch of Bailey's lips on his right cheek. All four of them went up to the 23rd floor and helped Bailey get her stuff in the room before it would have be dragged down again to be packed in a car. Once the transferring of the luggage was done, Eunice and Carey went snuck outside Bailey's hotel room to give the two young love birds time alone.

Inside Bailey's room, she and Cody were finally alone. Bailey walked up to Cody and grinned at him. For Cody he had a goofy smile plastered across his face. Bailey looked up at Cody.

"We're alone and we finally can give each a hug and a kiss", Bailey said.

"Yes we can", Cody responded.

Cody and Bailey leaned in into each other's bodies and wrapped their arms around each other like they did at the mulch festival on the S.S. Tipton and when they worked together for a charity to give orphans toys for Christmas even if it was in South America where their 'winter' is as hot as summer. The hug lasted for a minute but it was just enough for the young couple that they missed each other. After the brief yet comforting hug, came the kiss. Bailey and Cody leaned in into each other's lips and closed the gap. Their soft lips moved in sync with one another's and were happy to finally share a kiss after many weeks since their victory kiss after the Mathlympics. The kiss was full of love and passion but it only lasted for two whole minutes. When Cody and Bailey parted from their kiss, they smiled at each other.

"I missed you so much, Bailey", Cody said.

"I missed you so much, too, Cody", Bailey replied.

"Well, I have to admit this is a nice place and it'll will make it easier for us to meet since our rooms are so close together", Cody commented.

Bailey snuggled her head against Cody's chest and looked around her hotel room. She was feeling sleepy from the exhausting plane ride. Her eyelids were drooping.

"Yeah, I guess so. I think the plane ride has really done me in Cody. I think I need to take a nap", Bailey yawned.

"Well, you can take a nap later. You need to say goodbye to your mom before you do that", Cody said.

"Ok but you'll have to drag me because I feel very comfortable resting my head on your chest", Bailey cooed.

"Well, I'm sorry I have such a soft chest", Cody joked.

Bailey lifted her head up and she suddenly found more energy. She realized that she would eventually get to take a nap but she had to say goodbye to her mom first. Although, it was so tempting to Bailey to just cuddle on a couch with Cody and sleep in his arms. Bailey walked past Cody and grabbed one of his hands in the process causing him to walk behind her. The farm girl opened the door and found her mom and Carey Martin standing side-by-side waiting for her and Cody to emerge from the room.

"Bailey, Carey and I were just talking and we thought it would be okay if you were taken care of by Mrs. Martin. She'll act as your guardian while you're here in Boston and of course we have the upmost confidence that Cody will take care of you too", Eunice stated.

"Okay momma and don't, I'll be a good for you and Mrs. Martin", Bailey assured.

"I doubt I'll have to worry about that", Carey said.

"Okay then. Good luck at Yale Bailey", Eunice said.

Eunice hugged Bailey and then drew back. She held on to her fourth youngest daughter for a bit longer before she would have to let go.

"Don't be a stranger and send your pa and I a letter every once and a while. Also trust Cody to take care of you and take care of him as well", Eunice advised.

"Okay mom, I won't be a stranger. I'll make sure to send you and pa a letter. I'll make sure that Cody and I look out for each other", Bailey promised.

"Okay good. Well there is one last thing I need to do before I leave. Cody I might need your help with this task. Could you come over and help me with it? I need to talk to you", Eunice said.

Eunice walked away from Bailey and Carey so that they couldn't hear anything, especially Bailey. Cody gave a weird look to Mrs. Pickett but obey her request. He walked over to where she was. He leaned in and waited for Mrs. Pickett to say what she needed to say.

"Cody I want to know that I already feel better that you're going to be with Bailey at Yale and well I don't see why not you can't earn your way into our family. When you and Bailey left the farm after the twister Grammy wanted to give you a family heirloom to Bailey so that you would be more a part of our family. Needless to say she mistook your brother as you. He almost swindled a family heirloom away from us because he was desperate for a gift to give for his girlfriend but I caught on and asked him to give the necklace back. He did and well now I have to give it to you", Eunice said.

Eunice dug through a pocket in her apron and took out the necklace. She handed it to Cody and he stared at it in his unfolded hand. Eunice gently took his hand in hers and folded his fingers over the heirloom.

"This necklace has been in the Pickett family for generations and Grammy thinks that Bailey should be the one to have it passed on to her and Grammy thought that it would be fitting if gave it to her. Please keep it safe and keep it hidden until you've found the right moment to give it to Bailey", Eunice said.

"I promise to keep it safe and hidden and I promise to give it to Bailey when the time is right", Cody promised.

"Thank you, Cody", Eunice said.

Cody slipped the necklace carefully into his right pocket. After Cody put the necklace in his pocket, Eunice took the opportunity to hug Cody.

"Thank you again", Eunice said.

"You're welcome", Cody simply stated.

Eunice walked back to Carey and Bailey with Cody trailing behind her. Eunice Pickett gave her daughter one last hug and looked straight at her. Bailey held onto her mom. Eunice slipped her hands off Bailey's shoulders.

"Goodbye, Bailey. I'll see at you for the holidays?" Eunice stated.

"I'm not sure about Thanksgiving but I'll definitely be home for Christmas", Bailey replied.

"Well, let me know if you can come home for Thanksgiving", Eunice said.

"I will momma", Bailey replied.

"Okay, goodbye then. Study hard but not too hard and have fun but not too much fun", Eunice advised.

"I will", Bailey promised.

With all that was exchanged between Bailey and Eunice Pickett, Mrs. Pickett left. Bailey watched her mother walk away from her. Bailey watched her mom leave until she could no longer see her. Bailey was used to being separated from her mom especially how well she took it when she was left on the boat but for some reason she felt her heart ache more this time around. Cody could tell what was going to happen and came in close to Bailey's side to comfort her when she would start to cry. Bailey bit her lips and tried to hold it in but she couldn't she cried and Cody was right there ready to embrace her. She cried in his shirt and Cody gently stroked her head in a comforting way. Carey encircled the couple in her arms. At the sight of Bailey crying from her mom leaving, Carey was slightly afraid of something similar happen to her and Cody.

Carey walked Cody and Bailey in the family's suite and sat them down at the table and started to brew a pot of tea for all of them. It was around but they had time before they would have some lunch. Carey thought they would have lunch around one thirty to give Bailey some time to rest. While Carey preparing a pot of tea, Cody was rubbing Bailey's back and used comforting words to sooth her. Bailey felt bad because she broke down in tears when her mom left.

"I don't get why I'm crying now", Bailey sniffled.

"It's okay to cry", Cody said.

"Yeah, I agree with Cody. I mean regardless whether you cried or not when you left on the S.S. Tipton, you can cry after your mom left just a week before you have to move in the dorms. College is a whole new ballgame and it's okay to feel sad and that you want to be closer to home", Carey emphasized.

"My mom's right. College probably is going to be a lot different from high school and probably a lot more frightening once we start but we'll have each other", Cody said.

"I know. I just wish that I didn't have to end up crying in front you, Cody, and your mom. I feel so foolish", Bailey said while clearing her throat.

"Don't be. Heck, I might feel foolish if I end up crying in front of you after my mom leaves us behind at Yale", Cody admitted.

"You won't have to worry about feeling foolish about crying in front of me either, Cody", Bailey said with a small hint of a smile on her face.

"I'm glad that you two will have each other to look after each other", Carey commented.

The kettle pot made a whistling sound and Carey turned her attention back to the tea. She turned off the burner and took out a box of three different tea bags. There was earl gray, green and ginger peach. She looked at the flavors and picked out green tea for herself Carey took out three mugs and poured hot water evenly in the mugs. She looked back at Cody and Bailey.

"What tea do you two want", Carey asked.

Cody and Bailey looked back at Carey.

"What do you have", Cody asked.

"There's green tea, ginger peach tea and earl gray", Carey explained.

"I'll have ginger peach, please", Bailey nicely requested.

"I'll have earl gray, mom", Cody said.

"Ok, one earl gray and one ginger peach", Carey repeated out loud.

Carey dropped the tea bags in selected mugs. Carey dropped the green tea in a flower mug. She then dropped the ginger peach tea bag in a sand dollar mug and the earl gray in a mug that said: Made in America with Finish parts. While Carey waited for the tea to steep in the water, she turned her attention at Cody and Bailey. She saw how gentle and sensitive Cody was acting towards Bailey and knew how special she was Cody. Carey saw how Cody wiped away some of Bailey's stray tears off of her cheeks with the tips of his thumb, carefully rubbing his thumbs off the sides of her face. Bailey leaned in on Cody and he kept her close to him at the table. Carey smiled at the couple. She thought that they looked so right for each other. Five minutes passed quickly and Carey noticed that the tea bags were done steeping in the water. She took a spoon and carefully scooped up each tea bag out of the mugs before she brought them over to the table.

When she brought the mugs over she announced what tea was in which mug. When Cody and Bailey received their mugs they thanked Carey for the tea and in response she just smiled at them. Shortly after, Carey joined Cody and Bailey at the table and drank her tea with them. In ten minutes, the trio finished their tea and Carey collected the mugs and brought them over to the sink. Bailey hugged Carey and thanked her for the tea and for the comfort. Carey was a little surprised by the hug but was happy that bailey was grateful and hugged the farm girl back saying a 'you're welcome' in reply. Bailey tried to offer to wash the mugs but both Cody and Carey told her that she needed to rest. Bailey tried to protest but Cody wrapped one arm around her waist and guided her to the door. He took her all the way back inside her hotel room. Cody found a blanket and laid Bailey on her hotel bed. He gave her the blanket. Bailey snuggled under the blanket on her bed and looked up at Cody.

"How did you get so sweet", Bailey asked.

"I learned from the best and got it from my mom and I maintained that sweetness from knowing you."

"Aww… Cody you really are the sweetest guy and I'm so lucky to have you as boyfriend."

"And I'm lucky to have you as my girlfriend. Now, please, sleep. You need rest, Bailey. I'll come back to check up on you in an hour so we can have lunch later", Cody stated.

"Thank you so much for what you've done for me", Bailey replied.

"You're welcome, Bailey", Cody smiled.

Bailey kissed Cody on the cheek and fell into dreamland shortly after. Cody gently stroked Bailey's forehead before kissing it and leaving her room. He return back to his family's suite once he was sure that she would have a good nap after having to wake up earlier than usual and flying for a significant amount of hours plus the time spent travelling with a minimal load of luggage. Cody wished he had met her and Mrs. Pickett at the airport but he didn't have a car at the time yet and he didn't know when he would get one. For what happened in the next hour would depend how and when Cody would wake Zack and Bailey up. Carey and Cody did not worry disturbing either Zack or Bailey, instead Cody read Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and Carey went down to sing at a rehearsal that she had that day.

Part Two (Scene Break)

After an hour had passed by, Cody went over to Bailey's room and went inside quietly. He went to where his sleeping beauty was resting and gently shook her shoulders causing her to wake. Bailey batted her eyelashes a little bit to adjust to the lighting; she yawned and stretched before sitting up from her bed. Bailey looked over at Cody.

"Hi, Cody", Bailey happily chirped.

"Hi, Bailey. Did you have a nice nap", Cody asked in response.

"Yes. Thank you for asking", Bailey replied.

"Do you want to help me wake up Zack", Cody asked.

"I think it would be entertaining", Bailey laughed.

"Then let's go. We have a lazy guy to wake up", Cody said.

Bailey hopped out of her bed and looped her right arm in with Cody's left one. The couple walked out of the room and went right into the suite. Cody opened the door to his and Zack's old bedroom and ushered Bailey in. When Bailey walked in, she noticed how clean and tidy Cody's old bed was. She smiled inwardly to herself and then turned back at the impending task of helping Cody wake up Zack. Cody went on one side of Zack's bed and Bailey went on the other side.

"On the count of three, we wake him up", Cody said.

"Right", Bailey agreed.

"One", Cody started.

"Two", Bailey continued.

"Three", Cody said.

Cody and Bailey quickly titled their heads down so that their mouths were close to his ears so he could clearly hear them.

"Wake up, Zack. It's time for lunch", Cody and Bailey bellowed at the same time.

Zack bolted out his bed from surprise of two load yet clear voices ringing in his ears. He rolled on one side and fell to the floor where Cody was standing. His face got smacked a little bit from the fall from his bed. He stood up from the floor, turned towards Cody and glared at him.

"You didn't need to yell so loud. It sounded like you had two voices", Zack sneered.

"That's because there were two voices", Bailey interjected from behind.

Zack quickly turned on his heels and came face-to-face with Bailey.

"Bailey, you're here", Zack happily stated.

Zack then paused before walking over to give her a welcoming hug. He thought for a while and realized that she helped Cody wake him up. He frowned at her.

"Wait. Bailey, you helped Cody wake me up", Zack asked with an annoyed tone.

"Yes", Bailey simply stated.

"Why", Zack whined.

"We thought it might be fun", Bailey explained.

Cody snickered from behind Zack. The older Martin twin spun on his heels as to turn back to his younger brother and glared at him again.

"Well, I'm glad you two had your fun", Zack sarcastically stated.

"It did wake you up", Cody said.

"Yes.…it did", Zack unenthusiastically agreed.

"Oh come on it wasn't that bad. Now you get dressed now since lunch will be ready soon", Cody suggested.

"Fine", Zack agreed.

Cody and Bailey walked around Zack's bed and walked out of the bedroom. Cody took out the necessary ingredients to make sandwiches and Bailey helped make them with Cody. By the time Zack came out, Cody and Bailey had set the table with plates, napkins and glasses. They placed sandwiches in the center accompanied with a side of fruit and homemade iced tea.

When the trio of high school graduates were about to sit down at the table, Carey came back from her rehearsal. She happily joined the teenagers and all four of them peacefully ate lunch together. Sometimes Bailey would talk to Carey or Zack during lunch and sometimes Cody talked to Bailey, Zack or his mom. Once lunch was over and the dishes were cleaned by Carey and Bailey, all four of them relaxed. The rest of the day without a problem and so did the rest of the week.

During the week that Bailey stayed at the Tipton, she was introduced to more Tipton employees by Cody and went on a tour of Boston with the Martin family. Bailey got to see everything that she wanted to see in Boston, Massachusetts. By the end of the week, Cody and Carey went out to get Cody a new car for him to use while at Yale. Carey and Cody came back with a honda civic car that was practical and environmentally friendly. The compact car had a gas mileage of 35. It would be great for Cody and Bailey's use while they were in Yale. The color of the car was silver as Cody thought it was good neutral car color. He didn't pick black because it would be hard to spot in the dark and he didn't pick white because it would get dirty easily. As for other colors, some didn't fit his taste or wasn't provided for the model that he chose.

When it was time for Cody and Bailey to leave for Yale, Carey offered to come with them. Zack didn't feel like being by himself back at the suite so he came along too. Once Bailey checked out of her hotel room, she left with Zack, Cody and Carey. Even though it wasn't necessarily good for the environment, the four of them took two cars for better "man power" to get all of Cody and Bailey stuff into their dorms. Plus, it would give Zack and Carey the chance to say goodbye to Cody and Bailey at Yale and not have to worry about squeezing in one car.

Once they got to Yale and Cody and Bailey got their room assignments and their stuff was all in their rooms, it was time to say goodbye. Fortunately, Cody and Bailey's rooms were in the same building as each other. Cody's floor was below Bailey's floor so that they could still see each other quite frequently. Everyone decided to say their goodbyes to each other in front of the co-ed building. Carey spoke up first.

"Cody, remember to take care of yourself and to take care of Bailey", Carey sternly said.

"I will mom", Cody promised.

"And Bailey make sure that Cody doesn't do something that he might regret later on in life", Carey said.

"I will Mrs. Martin and thank you for welcoming me into your home and looking out for me ", Bailey replied.

'It was my pleasure and you're welcome. You're always welcome back our suite on the 23rd floor", Carey commented.

"Thank you", Bailey said.

Carey and Bailey hugged each other and then had let go. Zack walked up to Cody and Bailey.

"Good luck here at Yale, you two", Zack said.

"Thanks, Zack", Cody and Bailey chorused.

"And don't study too hard", Zack advised.

"We'll make sure of that", Cody assured.

"Bailey I trust you to look after my brother for me", Zack said.

"I'll make sure to keep Cody close to me", Bailey promised.

"And Code Red, keep Bailey safe from other dudes and make sure she doesn't end up in any chick fight", Zack said.

"Ok, Zack", Cody replied.

"Good luck with finding a job or going to a community college, Zack", Bailey said.

"Thanks, Bailey", Zack responded.

"Well, I guess we better head out now", Carey said.

"Bye, guys", Zack said.

Zack hugged Cody first and then hugged Bailey second. He drew back from the hugs a bit slowly as he sort of didn't want to let go of either one of his friends. He really did consider his brother, Cody, and Bailey as his true and real friends. It was Carey's turn to give goodbye hugs as well. She hugged Bailey first and then hugged Cody second.

"Goodbye you guys", Carey sniffled a bit.

"We will mom", Cody promised.

Bailey laced her fingers into Cody's fingers and gently squeezed his hand out of comfort. Cody had a firm yet gentle grip on Bailey's hand. Carey and Zack gave Cody and Bailey sad smiles and then turned away. The couple watched Carey and Zack walk away until they could no longer see them in the distance. Cody bit his lower lip as an attempt to prevent himself from crying. He tried to draw blood from his lip so that he would feel physical pain as supposed emotional pain. He knew that the pain would distract him from the heartache but he couldn't seem to draw any blood from his bottom lip and instead he decided to let his tears flow.

Bailey knew what to expect and encircled Cody's body in her slim arms to welcome Cody into a warm hug. She knew that Cody had been there for her when she cried and thought that she owned him the same comfort. Cody didn't allow himself to be too loud but he did allow himself to be vulnerable in front of Bailey and cried into one of her shoulders. The country girl spoke comforting words into her city boy's ears and it helped calm him. Luckily, Cody didn't cry as much as Bailey but just enough to show that he would miss his mom and brother. When he was done, he lifted his head from his girlfriend's shoulder and wiped a few tears away from his cheeks. Bailey pulled away from the embrace but firmly kept her hands on Cody's shoulders. The couple looked into each other's eyes and gave each other a small smile.

"Well looks like we're even now, Bailey. We've both cried in front of each other and didn't feel ashamed to do it in one another's presence", Cody said.

"I'm just glad that you let your emotions out and allowed me to comfort you", Bailey said.

"Thank you for helping get through the pain", Cody smiled.

"You're so welcome, sweetie", Bailey stated.

Cody hugged Bailey and kissed her on both cheeks. He gave her a few Eskimo kisses as well and then drew back from her body.

"Let's get better acquainted with our new home at Yale", Cody suggested.

"Ok", Bailey agreed.

Cody and Bailey linked their hands together and turned back around to the entrance of the building that they would be living for about the next nine months. Cody swiped his student card to get the building and entered it with Bailey. As the typical gentleman that Cody was, he walked all the way back with Bailey and escorted her to her dorm room. When Bailey was safely inside her room, Cody made plans with Bailey to have dinner with her later at the eating commons room or what also could be called the dining center. Cody walked down the stairs that separated his floor from Bailey's floor and returned to his dorm room. Until he and Bailey would have dinner together, Cody would just have to wait and hope to finally meet their roommates.

To Be Continued….


	2. Room To Spare

Once Cody and Bailey had met each other for dinner later in the day, they went back to their rooms to finally settle in into their new rooms. When Cody got back to his room, he saw another bed covered with sheets and blankets. He could only assume that his roommate finally came to the room. When Cody got more into room, he saw his roommate in full view. He didn't know who he was. His roommate finally made eye contact with Cody and didn't waste much time introducing himself to Cody. Cody's roommate had dark, short hair and green eyes.

"Hello. I'm your roommate, Nick Stephanopolous", Nick greeted while shaking Cody's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Nick. I'm Cody Martin", Cody replied.

"Oh, you're Cody Martin. My cousin Arwin and my uncle Milos have talked about you and your brother Zack", Nick responded.

"Oh, Nick so your family to Arwin and Milos? That's great. I'm guessing you're Greek", Cody said.

"Very Greek, very Greek indeed. I had finally learned the table dance", Nick happily commented.

"What's the table dance", Cody asked.

"It is a Greek dance where the dancers hold tables with their teeth", Nick explained.

"Yikes! That must not be good for your teeth", Cody commented.

"It's not good, not good at all but it's quite an exercise for your mouth", Nick lightly laughed.

"Alright, then. I'm sure we'll get along just fine", Cody said.

"Fine is fine but better is better. I hope we will be close pals", Nick replied.

"I'd like the sound of that", Cody responded.

While Cody and Nick were getting to know each other better Bailey was settling back into her room when she saw that the other bed had covers and sheets on it. She figured that her roommate came already. Bailey was actually curious who her roommate would be. She looked around and found a blonde haired girl who was fixing up her desk. Bailey tapped on her shoulder to introduce herself to her new roommate. The blonde haired girl turned around and faced Bailey.

"Hi, I'm Bailey Pickett, your roommate", Bailey greeted.

Bailey extended her right hand out to her roommate.

"Hello, I'm Stacy Dodson. Nice to meet you, Bailey", Stacy said while shaking Bailey's hand.

"Nice to meet you, too, Stacy", Bailey said.

The two girls had let go of each other's hands. Stacy looked over at Bailey's desk and spotted a sweater on her desk chair. She looked back at Bailey.

"I see that you have a nice green sweater on your chair but it seems a little big from here", Stacy commented.

Bailey momentarily looked over at the green sweater on her chair. She realized that she forgot to give it back to Cody when he lent it to her to stay warm on their way back from dinner. Bailey had a huge smile on her face at the memory. She turned back to Stacy.

"That sweater belongs to my boyfriend. He lent it to me so I wouldn't get cold and I guess that I forgot to return it to him. I'll probably will give it to him tomorrow", Bailey explained.

"Your boyfriend sounds nice", Stacy said.

"Do you have a boyfriend", Bailey asked.

"No. I actually just got over a break-up with my boyfriend who I've had for the past three years since I was fifteen", Stacy mentioned.

"Oh, I'm sorry. But I'm sure you'll find someone else", Bailey responded.

"Yeah, you're right, Bailey. I need to keep my chin up and hope to find a great guy for me", Stacy replied.

"That's the spirit. If you like I could help you find a guy for you", Bailey offered.

"Aw that's sweet of you Bailey. I'll think about your offer", Stacy replied.

"So where do you come from", Bailey asked.

"I come from Boston, Massachusetts. What about you?" Stacy replied.

"Oh neat, you come from Boston just like my boyfriend. As for myself, I come from a small backwater town called Kettlecorn, Kansas", Bailey replied.

"So you're a farm girl? Did you say that your boyfriend from Boston? How do you know each other", Stacy asked.

"Cody and I met at Seven Seas High on the S.S. Tipton", Bailey happily stated.

For some strange reason Stacy thought that she recognized the name Cody that was associated with Tipton Industries. Stacy remembered a Cody Martin but wasn't sure if Bailey was talking about the same Cody. She had to find out.

"Do you mean your boyfriend is Cody Martin", Stacy nervously asked.

"Yep, he's the one. After our freshmen years in our high schools we transferred to Seven Seas High and him and I became close friends. I also became friends with Cody's twin brother, Zack, and London Tipton. London and I were roommates for the three years on the boat", Bailey explained.

"Oh wow. What a small world we live in. I met Cody back at the Tipton Hotel back in Boston. He had a crush on me", Stacy commented.

"It sure is funny how things turn out to be. Maybe we could all get together and hang out. I'm sure Cody would like to see you again. It'd been great just three friends getting to know each other better", Bailey innocently responded.

"I'm sure it would be fun", Stacy said.

"Ok, well we better get ready for bed soon", Bailey advised.

"You're right, we need our rest", Stacy agreed.

Bailey smiled at Stacy and then went off to her side of the room to get her pajamas ready. Stacy was actually really excited to see Cody again. She hadn't seen him since the eighth grade and was curious how he looked currently. She was glad to meet Bailey but was anxious to catch up with Cody Martin. Bailey had left to the communal bathroom to go change into her pajamas and gave Stacy the chance to get her pajamas as well. Stacy went to the communal bathroom not too long after Bailey. After a while Stacy and Bailey arrived back at their room together. They went to bed and everything was fine.

While Cody and Bailey were meeting their roommates back at Yale, Zack was watching tv, lounging on the couch. He found a new program. It was lingerie football. A combination of two of his favorite things: hot babes and football. The best part of the programming that the hot babes were playing football. He became consumed with the programming and was happy and well distracted from being sad over Maya until his mom swiped the tv remote away from him and turned off the tv.

"Hey, mom, what did you do that for", Zack whined.

"You don't need to be watching trash tv. It's not good for you and should lead a more productive life. Maybe you should take some classes at a community college or get a job", Carey sternly replied.

"Ugh…! I don't know if I can still register for classes or know who would take me as an employee", Zack countered.

"Zack, you need to do something. You can't sit around all day doing nothing but watching tv and playing video games", Carey said.

"But mom, I don't know what I could do", Zack complained.

"Find something that you'll like and that you know that you're good at it. I think you should start off with some classes just to get a feel for what you like and what you're good at", Carey encouraged.

"What if none of community colleges will take me, what would I do then?" Zack questioned.

"You could at least try to register for some classes", Carey said.

"Fine, I'll try but I'm going to need your help finding a community college", Zack said.

"Fair enough, let's go on the internet and find a few colleges for you to pick from", Carey replied.

Carey placed the tv remote on top of the tv and went into the twin's old room and found Zack's laptop computer. She arrived back to the living room area and sat down on the couch next to Zack. Carey opened up Zack's computer and logged in. She pulled up Mozilla Firefox internet browser and used the Google search engine. She typed in some key words and got some results. She looked over at Zack and motioned him to look at the results. There was a list of community colleges and Zack looked over the names. He told Carey that he didn't like Massachusetts Community College or Bunker Hill community College. He would pick between Roxbury Community College or Beacon Hill Community College.

Carey first clicked on Beacon Hill's link and Zack didn't seem impressed. She then clicked on Roxbury's link and Zack liked it better. Zack took his laptop from his mom and looked more deeply at the website. The older Martin twin thought that Roxbury would a good place for him start at. Zack turned over to Carey.

"Mom, I think I know what I want to do. I want to take some classes at Roxbury Community College", Zack said.

"Well, I'm glad that you're taking charge of your life", Carey responded.

Carey hugged Zack from the side. After a little while, Carey drew back from her sideways hug with Zack.

"Do you want me to drive you over there", Carey asked.

"Sure, mom, that would be great. Besides my car still is in the shop being fixed after it got crushed from London's summer wardrobe collection", Zack replied.

"Ok, then. Let's get you over to Roxbury", Carey stated.

Carey stood up from the couch and went to the closet to get a light jacket. Zack stood up from the couch and went inside his and Cody's old room. He stashed his laptop away in a safe place and grabbed a sweatshirt. He came out of the room and went over to the front door where his mom was waiting for him. Soon after, Carey and Zack Martin left their family's suite on the 23rd floor and went out to get Zack registered for some classes at Roxbury Community College.

To Be Continued…..


	3. Change Of Pace

**Hello all! If anyone has been waiting for an update to the story, here it is. I do apologize for the wait but there were complications going on for the author. I am simply posting this piece. I also edited and added a little to the story for tiny improvements. Again, I apologize for the wait. I hope you guys enjoy this piece. I will say that the author was happy how this turned out. As a quick reminder, this project is a group effort so that means that this project will be co-authored by five of us.**

**Best Regards, PSF**

**Actual Author: tiger002**

Zack sat in the hotel suite, the same as he had done every day for the past…he didn't feel like counting how many days it was. With Cody off at collage with Bailey, his mom busy with shows more than usual for whatever reason, each day seemed to be the same. Get up, watch some TV, eat some poptarts, play video games, maybe go downstairs to see the same old guests in the same old lobby doing the same old things. Eventually his mom would come back, ask him what he did today, and he's shrug his shoulders. Wasn't much to tell. Well, there was the one day he beat his high score on space invaders, but other than that, his life was pretty dull.

He pulled out his laptop, tried of the same reruns he saw all summer, and checked his email, hoping to have heard something from Cody, or Maya, or anyone. But as always, his inbox was empty. He thought about emailing Cody about his first week of class. Though reading about that sounded boring. Then again, it had to be better than what he was doing now.

He logged on facebook and gazed through all of his friends' posts about school starting, their exciting and wonderful lives. He smiled for a second at seeing Mark getting engaged. Then again, he had forgotten who Mark was. And then, looking at the top of the page, and the question it presented. _'What's on your mind?'_ If he had to answer that, he couldn't. There wasn't anything going on for him to share with the world. Nothing bad happened for him to cry out for attention with. He thought about posting something dumb, but hated all those people who spent all their time on facebook just because they didn't have anything better to do. Then again…he really didn't.

As he was about to close the computer, planning to go downstairs, or somewhere where something exciting might happen, he noticed a message from Bob.

'_Hey dude, how's it going?'_

Should he lie, say everything was perfect? He sure wasn't going to say that he was a bored mess that felt useless.

'_Not bad I guess'_

'_Want to meet me at the skate park or something? College starts tomorrow and might be cool to just hang out or something.'_

Zack smiled. It had been so long since he actually saw Bob, nearly three years now. They'd occasionally email each other and might send each other a message on facebook every once and a while, but their lives went off in different directions, and as such, they drifted apart. Zack had thought about trying to see Bob at least once during the summer, but with everything else going on, and his own laziness, it never happened.

'_Sure, be there in an hour?'_

'_See you then'_

And instead of loathing the boredom of closing his laptop, a smile grew across his face. Finally, something exciting, something more than lounging around watching more daytime TV than was good for one's health. He hadn't been this excited since his first date with Maya. Though he paused for a second, and wondered if it was strange that he was acting like he just got a date with Bob. But he then realized he didn't really care, heck, he'd almost date Agnus if it meant getting out of this mundane prison. He rushed to the door, ready to embrace the day of fun with his friend, when he remembered two things. One, he agreed to meet Bob in an hour, and it only took 5 minutes to walk to the skate park. And two, he wasn't wearing any pants.

…

"Hey Bob, how's it going?" Zack asked, trying not to show how thankful he was to see Bob, but also look happy that he was getting to hang out with his friend and not too depressed that his life was going nowhere at all.

"Not bad I guess, starting at Roxburry tomorrow. So not ready for tests and homework again."

"Wait, you're going there too?" Maybe school wouldn't be so bad. Granted, it was a big place so there was no guarantee that he'd see Bob any, but it might be something.

"Yeah, my mom said she wanted me to make something of my life instead of just working at Wal-Mart the rest of my life. I'm not too thrilled about it, but Mom really wants me to keep going with school."

"I know how you feel," Zack said putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I mean, after those 12 years of school, I thought I was done with it."

"I'm just not looking forward to all that reading. I heard they make you read a whole book every week or something."

Zack remembered that his friend was dyslexic, and while he was able to make it through high school despite the disability, he knew it wasn't easy. And he had heard that college was a big step up, and combined with difficulty in reading, Zack knew Bob would have a lot of trouble.

"It can't be that bad."

"We'll see," Bob said as he began walking away and placing his skateboard on the ground, and Zack remembered the real reason he was here. Instead of moping about how horrible school was going to be (even if it was something he was kind of looking forward to), he decided he might as well have some fun. It had been a while since he had a chance at riding around in a real skate park as opposed to the hotel or ship.

…

And after an hour of boarding, falling of his skateboard half a dozen times, (reminding him that he needed to practice more before trying to jump over people) and hitting on high school girls to no avail, Zack found himself resting on top of the half pipe overlooking the skate park and all the kids boarding throughout it. He thought about how they were so much younger than him, many teens and a few younger than that. Other than Bob and maybe one or two parents, Zack would have to say he was the oldest one here.

"What's going on Zack?"

"Nothing, it just seems strange how we're the oldest ones here."

"We're growing up Zack," Bob said, echoing the phrase Zack heard and feared so much. Seeing Cody head off to college, to embrace his dreams, and seeing all his other friends accepted to various colleges across the world while he was left behind seemed to leave him with nothing. Even those who weren't into school seemed to know what they were doing. Tommy joined the military, Steve's band seemed to be pretty successful already, and Zack knew they were going to make it big someday, sooner rather than later.

As for Zack, he just didn't know.

"I'm not sure I want to grow up," Zack admitted. He liked being a kid where nothing really mattered. If he messed up, he'd get yelled at by his mom or Moseby, sometimes both, but that was it. He'd try not to do that for at least a little while and life moved on.

But now, if he messed up, his future could be ruined. Mess up at a job, get fired, and he was an adult now, even if he was living at home, it was still his responsibility to provide for himself, at least somewhat. And he knew Carey would help, but at the same time, was it right to just do nothing for himself? With school, he hated it, always had, and he was sure college would be even worse. He'd heard about professors who barely spoke English and just threw knowledge at the students expecting the students to remember every word.

"We don't really have a choice, do we?" Bob asked, and Zack could only sign in defeat. Life didn't ask if people were ready to move on, and ready or not, Zack was becoming an adult.

"Just look at them," Zack said, taking in the sight of the dozens of kids all throughout the skate park. It felt like yesterday he was one of them, but in reality, that was many years ago. "Are we really so much older?" He saw a kid go by one that couldn't have been more than 13, and he saw he wasn't one of them anymore.

"I'm sure we are to them," Bob said before grabbing his skateboard and heading toward the exit.

"Where are you going?" Zack asked.

"I need to get the books and stuff for school starting, don't you too?"

"I'll do it later," Zack said, waving of the concerns, wanting to put it off as long as possible. He really wouldn't need them on the first day, would he? Besides, why waste a trip to school when he'd be there tomorrow anyway?

"Well okay, good to see you again Zack," Bob said walking away and getting in his grey Ford Torus, leaving Zack alone, among the chaos and noises of the kids around him, and he felt strangely out of place.

…

Flipping through the channels on the evening of his last day of freedom, he found that he was as bored as always. Carey was busy performing, he'd already eaten dinner, and while nothing sounded like fun, it was still too early to go to bed. Though maybe he should make sure he had a good night's sleep before classes started, but he couldn't get up the energy to pull himself off the couch.

As he made it through the channels one more time, the news caught his eye, a car that he had seen just earlier that day standing out to him.

A grey Ford Torus, the driver's side door pounded in, the windows shattered, and sitting on the side of the road while flashing red and blue lights stood all around it. Zack stared for a moment, not listening to the news, only taking in the sights, trying to reassure himself that there were thousands of cars like it, that it could be anyone. But then he let himself hear the news anchor relay the devastating news.

"The police tell us that a drunk driver was speeding along East Main Street going between 50 and 60 miles per hour and ran the red light at the intersection with North Bryant while a car was going through it. Both drivers have been flown via the helicopter to the hospital, and are in critical condition, and may not live through the night."

Just thinking, that maybe this could be his friend filled him with dread. He felt his body start shaking as the room began spinning. But he forced those thoughts away and reached for his cell phone, knowing that he'd put an end to this paranoia with one simple call.

Scrolling down through the list of contacts, he found Bob's phone number and called it.

Then they waited.

For four rings.

Zack decided not to leave a voicemail, that it wouldn't do any good. He thought that Bob probably had it on silent, or something. This was no reason to panic. He'd just try his home phone number, that way he could talk to Bob or his parents, and then be assured that everything was all right and move on with his boring evening.

But once again, he found himself waiting.

However, much to his surprise, he found someone pick up on the third ring.

"Hello?" the feminine voice asked, if Zack had to guess he'd say it sounded like his sister whose name he had forgotten.

"Hey, this is Zack, can I please talk to Bob."

"He's not here; he got in a car accident."

"No…"

"He's on his way to the hospital."

It couldn't be.

"Do you want me to tell him that you called?"

Zack swallowed hard. "No, that's okay." Zack hung up the phone, finding himself on the verge of tears. This wasn't how school was supposed to begin, he was looking forward to having class with at least one old friend, but now, Bob might not even be alive much longer.

Why did reality have to be so cruel? Why did his best friend, Bob, have to end in a car crash? Zack didn't get why life was had to be unfair to him. He didn't get it but then something else occurred to him. His brother have gotten himself the short end of the stick of life much more often than Zack had when it involved more personal affairs. Zack also knew that he should try to keep his chin up but he just couldn't. He was too afraid that he could possibly lose his best buddy, Bob, to a stupid car crash. For the time being, Zack was melancholy. He had to call someone who might help him out, someone he could vent to. But who? Who to call?

Zack was at loss for whom to think of to give him support and get through such an unexpected emotional state of mind. What could he do? He had to call someone but he couldn't because his brain was in lock down.

_To Be Continued….._


	4. Caring: A Work Of Heart

To oblige with Zack's troubled request concerning Bob, Maddie had called Cody about the incident. Cody's first reaction was to ask why she was calling him instead of Zack. Maddie had explained that Zack was so distraught that he was too afraid to call Cody first hand because he might not believe him so he decided to call Maddie first. After Maddie was done explaining to Cody, he asked what he could do. Maddie responded that there not much that he can do at the moment but to call Zack later to help him cope through the situation by talking to him on the phone when he would be ready to do so himself. Cody silently nodded as Maddie told him to take in the information slowly before helping Zack out. Once everything was said and done, Cody and Maddie hung up on each other at the same time. Cody slipped his cell phone back into his pocket and slumped onto his bed.

He covered his face with hands and let out a frustrated sigh. There were so many thoughts running through his head. Should he come back up from Yale to the Tipton in Boston and see Zack? Should he tell someone else about the problem? Should he tell Bailey or Nick? He could tell Bailey but then again he could tell Nick. Bailey was his girlfriend but Nick was his roommate….How would tell the situation to anybody?

Cody thought for a little bit longer until a new wave of thoughts came into his head. How badly hurt is Bob? Why did the car crash happen? Would Bob die? How would this affect his life?

Finally, after exhausting himself with penetrating questions, Cody got teary-eyed. While he cried, his roommate, Nick, came into the room holding new school supplies. He calmly placed them on his desk before noticing his distressed roommate. Nick carefully approached his distressed roommate. He placed a tender hand on Cody's closest should, which was his right.

"Cody, what is wrong?"

Cody sniffled a little bit before clearing his eyes and sitting up.

"One of my childhood friends got into a car crash. I was told by one of my other childhood friends that my brother was very distraught."

"That doesn't sound good at all, not at all indeed."

"Nick, what should I do?"

"I do not know. Maybe you should let yourself take in all this information first."

"I'm trying to do that but I'm having trouble doing it."

"Maybe you should talk to someone who will understand your pain. I would be happy to help but I am still getting to know you. Do you have anyone else that you could confide in?"

Cody had a realization hit him in the face like he was the stupidest person in the world.

"Bailey!"

"What, your girlfriend?"

"Yes. She knows a lot about me and how Zack acts around me and she knows about and has met our childhood friends. She would be able to help me. Why didn't just to go her in the first place? Uh, I'm such an idiot."

"Don't beat yourself up, Cody. You are not an idiot. Go to your girlfriend, Bailey."

"You're right, Nick. Thanks. I'm going to her room now."

"Don't forget your keys and id."

Cody stifled a little chuckle.

"I won't."

Cody left the dorm room in a flash and went up the stairs to Bailey's floor. Once he got to her room, he ferociously knocked on the door. The door opened and the person who opened it wasn't Bailey, it was her roommate, Stacy. Cody looked at Stacy and thought that she looked familiar but was more concerned about talking to Bailey about Zack and Bob. Stacy cocked her head to the left side as she examined the guy in front of her. He looked cute to her and she thought he looked familiar for some reason. She had to know who was and why he was there.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Cody Martin. I'm Bailey's boyfriend. Is Bailey here?"

"Oh my gosh, Cody! Time sure has been generous to you. You look great. So you're Bailey boyfriend?"

"Excuse me?"

"Don't you remember me, Cody? I'm Stacy. You had a crush on me when we were in middle school."

"It's nice to see you too, Stacy. But have you've seen Bailey? I need to talk her about something very important."

"Um, she's not here at the moment but she should be back any second now. Come on in while you wait for her."

"Uh, thanks, Stacy."

"No problem, Cody."

Cody entered the room and began to nervously swing his hands back and forth at his sides. Stacy leaned against her desk. Cody saw Stacy leaning against her belonging so he concluded that the other side had to be Bailey's. He went over to Bailey's bed and leaned against it, hitting his knees with his hands with a slow yet steady pace. Stacy noticed Cody's nervous behavior.

"Why are you so nervous? You're not to pop the question are you? Because that would be a bit weird since we're about to start the school year."

Stacy's question about asking Bailey to marry him, caught Cody off guard. He wasn't even thinking about that. He was just thinking about telling Bailey about Bob and Zack. However, Cody was still thinking about having a marriage with Bailey in the deep recesses of his mind. One day he would push that certain thought in the front of his head when it was time but not at the moment. Cody was too concerned about Bob's safety and Zack's mental health to think about anything else. Cody gave Stacy a very direct and abrupt answer to her question with a soft tone.

"No."

"Oh. Well, I was just wondering. No harm in asking."

At the moment that Cody and Stacy were done exchanging some words, Bailey opened the door and walked into the room with some books. She hadn't noticed that Cody was there so she calmly placed her books on her desk and then turned around to go to her bed. But when she turned around, she was caught off-guard as she surprised to see Cody leaning against her bed in her and Stacy's dorm room. What surprised her more was that she saw little increments of water slipping from Cody's eyes. She wasn't happy at all to her boyfriend unhappy. She became worried at the sight of Cody teary-eyed and in her dorm room which meant bad news. She cautiously walked up to Cody and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Cody, why are you here? What's wrong?"

"Could we find a more private place to talk? There' something very important I want to talk you about."

"Sure thing, Cody. We can go down to the first floor lobby. Nobody ever goes in there."

Cody gave Bailey a sad nod as a response. Bailey bit her lower lip as she turned around and snatched one of Cody's hands before she faced Stacy.

"Stacy, I'm not sure how long this will take but don't be alarmed when I do come back, okay?"

"Sure, Bailey. I hope you can help Cody."

Bailey gave Stacy a silent nod before leaving the room with Cody close behind her. They went straight down to the first floor lobby and went inside. To ensure absolute privacy, Bailey closed and locked the doors before joining Cody on the couch. As she approached him, she could see that he was in a pitiful position. His elbows bent on his knees and his face in his hands. He was very crestfallen and it disturbed Bailey to see her boyfriend so distraught about something. She had to find out what was bothering him so much. The intelligent farm girl silently sat next to her caring and sensitive boyfriend from Boston. Bailey placed a soft palm on Cody's left shoulder. As she so, her silky, brown hair cascaded on her right shoulder. She patted his shoulder with much care.

"So, Cody what did you want to talk about? What's bothering you?"

"Zack."

Bailey stopped patting Cody's shoulder and slid her hand to rub his back.

"What did he do this time?"

"It's not what he did, it's what's happened to him."

Cody took his hands away from his face, removed his elbows from his knees and wiped away the hot and salty tears.

"What happened?"

"Zack's distraught and doesn't know what to do."

"Why is he distraught and why does it affect you so much? Cody, please let me know what's going on."

"Bob got into a car crash. We don't know how badly hurt he is."

"You mean Bob got into a car crash? That's horrible. What can I do to help you Cody?"

"I just need you to stay by my side as I let everything sink in. I couldn't do that when Nick came into the room."

"It's okay, Cody, I'll be here for you. I won't leave you."

"Thanks, Bailey. I knew I could count on you to understand what I'm going through. It means a lot to me that you're here for me."

Bailey stopped rubbing Cody's back and removed her hand completely from his backside.

"Cody, you shouldn't have to ever worry that I won't be there for you. I will always be there for you."

"You know I'll do the same for you, right?"

"I know. Actually, sometimes I feel as though you would do the same for me and beyond."

"You're my best friend, Bailey. Not only are you one of my closest best friends but you're also my girlfriend. You're like a very special gift that was delivered to me for all the right reasons."

"Well, gee, Cody, I just try to do what's right. By the way, who are your other closest best friends?"

"My mom and Zack. I used the word 'closest' as a way to differentiate between just plain old best friends and best friends that I feel very close to. By the way, don't tell Zack but you're a level above him."

"But Cody, your mom and Zack are your family."

"Correction, they're my biological family. You're family to me too, Bails."

Bailey couldn't help but blush. A nice little tint of pink found its way to her cheeks. She turned her head away from Cody's view.

"I feel the same way about you, Cody."

For the first time that day, Cody had a small smile on his face. He wasn't completely ready to let everything to sink in but at least he was able to loosen up with Bailey's aid. In Cody's opinion, Bailey's presence was enough to feel a little better. Cody leaned back into the couch's cushion and had his hands lay flat on the seat cushions. Bailey's head was still facing away from Cody's face. At one point when Cody was thinking about Bob's car crash, he slipped his left hand over Bailey's right one. Bailey's head jerked towards Cody's direction from the sudden contact of his hand on top of hers. Cody didn't bother looking at Bailey slightly bemused face and just stared out into space as he tightened his grip on her hand and then gently squeezed it. Bailey saw a small sliver of hope in his eyes and squeezed his hand back.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for asking."

"No problem."

Cody turned his head and spoke some of the sweetest words with a soft tone of voice as he directed them to Bailey.

"At least I can be thankful that you're safe and unharmed. I know that I'm sad that Bob could be seriously hurt but as long as I have you to help me back on my feet, I can overcome my pain. You're the medicine to my illness. You heel me when I'm hurting."

Bailey couldn't conjure up a single word to come out of her mouth. Cody could tell that she speechless so he took the opportunity to give her and appreciative and appropriate kiss on the lips. He had to keep it short as he didn't want to forget the situation at hand and forced himself to keep it brief. He basically pecked her lips tenderly but with a touch of lingering before drawing back. Bailey's cheeks were a light crimson color.

"Cody?"

"Yeah, Bailey?"

"Why did you do that?"

"I wanted to show you how grateful I am that you're here for me."

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Cody simply smiled at her. With a simplistic response, he whispered "I know."

A few moments of silence passed before Bailey broke it.

"What do we do now?"

"Well, I think I'm ready now to call Zack and ask him how he's doing."

"Do you need me to be with you?"

"I think I'll be fine for now. Thank you for offering, though."

Bailey sat there just staring at Cody.

"Could I stay with you if I wanted to?"

"You're always welcome to stay with me but I would have thought that you might have had more important things to do."

"What's more important than making sure my boyfriend is in a good mental state?"

"I get your point, Bailey. But you may get bored hearing two twin brothers getting all emotional about an old friend who you've only met once before."

"What if I said that I would want to be more involved with the situation if you allowed me to?"

Cody had to think for a while before he knew what Bailey meant and how he said that she's like family to him. He wouldn't want to leave her out of the dark regardless if she was just his friend or his girlfriend because no matter what, she was a part of his life. He took in some time to relish the thought before cracking a smile on his face. Bailey waited patiently for his response. All she got in reply was a smile and an arm slung over her shoulders to be carefully placed on her left shoulder to pull her closer to him. Cody pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and dialed his brother's number once he knew that bailey was nicely positioned against his side.

To Be Continued….


	5. Shifting Perspectives

**Actual Author: tiger002**

One day.

So much can change in a day.

One day ago he was a free man, no school to hold him down, and he could spend his days doing nothing.

But now, here he was, reading over the syllabus the professor had just passed out.

One day ago he was riding his skateboard in the park, letting the wind whip through his hair.

But now, he was confined in a room filled with artificial light as the air conditioner filled the place with stale air.

One day ago he looked forward to having English Compotation with Bob.

But now, he was alone, while Bob lay in the hospital bed, still unconscious.

Zack snuck a quick glance at his cell phone, seeing if he had any new text messages. He had asked that they inform him of any updates, but was sure that with the chaos that had shattered their family, Zack would be the last one they'd think of. Even so he hoped. He planned to visit Bob after class, but after composition, he had a chemistry class, along with college algebra. He thought about just skipping them and spending the whole day at the hospital, but he knew his mom wouldn't stand for skipping out on class on the first day.

Besides, he had to take notes here that way Bob could catch up.

Or he would if the professor said anything worthwhile. He was just going on about the syllabus, about the papers they would have to write, different tracts or something for the course. Nothing Zack cared about. Granted, he doubted he'd take many notes anyway, he'd probably lose them by tomorrow even if he did.

The only words he fully remembered from the day were, "I'll see you on Wednesday." So with that, Zack shoved the papers in his backpack and bolted out of the massive lecture hall. He probably should have been paying more attention that class, and he was sure that his lack of attention would come to bite him in the butt later on. But for now, he didn't care.

He found his way out in the crowds migrating between buildings, as he studied the campus map, not wanting to stick out as the new person who didn't know anything, but he couldn't help it. He figured it was just like the other new schools he had been to in the past. It would take a few days to get used to everything, but then it would be normal.

Still, he wished he had someone to journey with him through this adventure. Every other new school, he had Cody by his side, and that put him at ease. But now, he was alone. He had been relieved by finding out that Bob was going to be here with him, but sadly life had a way of turning his joy upside-down.

Finally finding the building his chemistry class was in, he walked through the doors with hundreds of students surrounding him. He caught a glimpse of the clock as he walked into yet another giant lecture hall, and was glad he wasn't late. Even if he had a reputation of never being on time through high school and even before, he wanted this to be different. He wasn't going to become a book worm spending all his time studying, but maybe at this new place, he could at least keep up.

…

Chemistry passed as did math, and he wasn't too confused. Granted, this was the standard boring introduction day, but his college algebra class didn't appear to be too hard, and he actually understood some of those questions. He needed to thank Cody for the time he spent helping him understand math enough to pass their final. True, he only got a C but that was enough to pass, but maybe this information could stick with him.

He sat town at the table in the middle of the cafeteria, surrounded by the chatter of the students, and pulled out his phone. He knew he should have been the one to call Cody last night, and talk to him instead. He wasn't quite sure why he called Maddie instead, but it had been so long since he had last talked to her and he thought that maybe she'd understand what it was like to go through this. That and Cody might have accused him of overreacting or making it up or something like that.

Not to mention he hadn't felt like crying to his brother.

But now he was feeling better, and decided now would be as good a time as any. He wondered if Cody was in class now, but since he forgot his brother's schedule, he figured now was as good a time as ever.

The phone rang a couple times before Cody picked up the phone.

"Zack, did you have to call now? I was just talking to Stephen, one of my classmates, about the hypothesis he had about the hemoglobin and the change an increase in the gravitational constant would have on it."

"You want me to call back?" Zack said softly.

"No, that's fine, how's class going?"

"Not too bad, I think I might be able to understand my math class thanks to your help last year. Thanks buddy."

"No problem, Zack. Maddie told me about Bob by the way," Cody said and Zack felt a bit of relief that he wasn't the one who had to break the news.

"I was going to go see him today."

"How bad is it?"

"The news said he was in critical condition, but I haven't gone to see him yet. I haven't heard anything from his family, so I can only assume that's good news."

"Think I should come back to see him?" Cody asked, and part of Zack wanted to say yes, but he knew Cody was where he needed to be, learning about all the rules of science and the world, and preparing himself for his future, and while he would like to have his brother with him through this mess, he didn't see how that would help Bob any. Still, he knew how close Cody and Bob were during middle school and their first year of high school. And he'd hate himself if he was the reason Cody didn't see Bob before he'd die.

"Let me see how he's doing first. I'm going to head to the hospital in about an hour, I'll call you later."

"All right, thanks Zack."

Zack hung up his phone, and made the slow walk out of the massive cafeteria.

…

The hospital stunk with the smell of sickness and the overly clean floor and walls only reminded Zack of the pain and suffering held within. He tried to calm himself as he walked up to the receptionist, and asked to see his friend.

He headed to the elevator and pushed the button, and endured what had to be one of the longest elevator rides of his life. He sighed, leaning back against the wall, glad to be alone at a time like this, so that no strangers could questions the reason he was so worried, granted he was sure they all had more important readers than to care about some kid who looked sad in a building filled with death and suffering.

Finally, reaching Bob's room, he slowly let himself in, first seeing the many wires and IVs set up to his friend, who was so covered with bandages he barely recognized the bits of red hair that stuck out among all the sanitized white.

"Bob, you in there?" Zack asked, hoping his friend was awake.

"Zack, is that you?" the voice called out though his voice was horse and weak, but hearing a response was enough to make Zack breathe a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, how are you feeling man?" Zack took a seat on the edge of Bob's bed, careful to avoid stepping or sitting on anything important.

"Pretty good, think they gave me as much Novocain as they had, so the pain isn't really there. Though I'm pretty sure the old man they had in here earlier thought he was back in world war two trying to stop aliens from invading the Yucatán Peninsula."

"The heck's the Yak-a-tan Peninsula?" Zack asked, remembering hearing about it once in school.

"Something in Spain I think," Bob said with as much of a shrug as he could do with his body wrapped like a mummy.

"How bad is it?" Zack asked, fearing the answer, but knowing he had to know. Friendship wasn't about the happy times of having fun. It was about the hard times too, the times where he'd rather be anywhere but here, but knew that Bob needed friends now more than ever.

"A few broken ribs, my left arm, I think they put about 50 stiches in me from the glass of the windshield shattering. I'm sure there's more, but I can't remember it now."

Zack wondered what else he could say, or if there was anything he could do to help his friend's pain. Bob didn't look good, or at least of what he could see, but he didn't seem to be hurting too much, at least for now.

"Thanks for coming Zack," Bob said after a couple minutes of awkward silence.

"No problem."

"You know you're the first outside my family to come see me?"

"Wait, really? No one from high school like Barbra or anyone else?"

He shook his head, at least as much as he could, and Zack saw that he wasn't the only one torn from friends by the ending of high school. Still, he thought there'd be at least someone, but it looked as if Zack wasn't alone in this next step in the journey toward adulthood.

"You know how long until you'll be out of here?" Zack asked.

"Probably about a week or so, if things go right."

Zack smiled. He knew things could have been worse. At first he thought Bob might have died, but now it looked like he'd get better. He spared a glance toward heaven, thanking a god he wasn't sure he believed in for not letting this be as bad as it could have been. He wondered why this had to happen at all, why it had to be Bob to be in this accident, but perhaps, some things were best left unknown.

Zack was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of Bob snoring, and he knew that he'd only be bugging his friend when he needed rest.

"See ya, buddy," Zack said as he left the room, promising himself that he wouldn't be one of those people too caught up in his life to forget the friends he held dear and near, especially when they needed him most.

With that in mind, Zack left Bob's hospital room with relief. A wave of worry washed away from his psyche. All Zack could do was pay attention in his classes and take notes for Bob so that he could catch up. He would also remind his English Composition teacher that Bob would be in the hospital for a while. It surprised Zack a little bit that there still could be teachers in college than just strictly professors, it just depended on how much the instructors contributed to the college and if they were published and did research for the institute. Zachary Martin would have to deal getting through college without his brother by his side for the first time in his life and he would have to deal with not seeing Bob very often during the first week or so in college. Other than that, Zack was preparing himself for a much more different perspective in life as he left the hospital. He had a new perspective in his own life. He now had a completely separate life from his twin brother, Cody, but he would manage to live on. Surely, things would get better for Zack and for Bob.


	6. Necessary Companionship

Ever since Bob's incident on getting into a car crash, life was torture for Zack. But after the first week of class, Bob was well enough to leave the hospital and go to college. Bob had a smile on his face when he came to his English Composition with Zack. The two of them decided that they would hang out after class and go eat dinner together at the cafeteria while trying to get some action with some pretty girls. College girls to be precise. Bob knew that Zack was trying to move on from Maya so he tried his best to support his buddy by talking with a group of girls with him. Bob was fine with the action since he and Barbra weren't on the best terms in their relationship. Time flew by for Zack and Bob as they found more and more time to hang out with each other at Roxbury and still be in good standing in their classes. They found a nearby skate park and went skating on their skateboards on the weekends.

Life was getting relatively better for the two best buds ever since the car crash happened. Zack was happy that he was handling college life fairly well and that he could hang out with Bob. He was happy yet he pondered how Cody was holding out. Zack wondered how his twin brother was doing so he gave him a call and Cody responded with a positive tone. Cody gave Zack a short report how he was getting along with his roommate, Nick, and how he was starting to become actual friends with Stephen and that he and Bailey were just flourishing as a couple. By the time Cody started to even mention about his relationship with Bailey, Zack had to stop him on phone and hang-up on him by saying goodbye. The next few days went by pretty quickly once Zack hung up on Cody at the beginning on the school week.

While Zack and Bob were having fun, Cody was in his dorm room doing homework. Oddly enough, he was alone in his room. Nick was in a lab working on a project and Bailey had promised Stacy that they would bond as roommates so that left Cody by himself on a warm Friday afternoon. After finishing his homework, Cody gave out an exhausted sigh. He wasn't too thrilled about being himself cooped up in his room when he could have been enjoying the sunlight like he did with Bailey during Labor Day weekend. They went to a park and had a picnic on Labor Day and just a few days later Cody didn't have Bailey with him. Cody got up from his chair and paced around the room with nothing to do. The hours trickled away slowly. They moved slower than a snail and that was when Cody realized how slow time moves when you're alone and have nothing to do. Cody was about to call it a night when he suddenly got a text from Bailey. Cody perked up in hopes that Bailey would want to spend time with him but as soon as he read the text, his hopeful heart shattered just a tiny bit. The text was a request to see him the following night and have dinner together. Bailey explained in her text that Stacy wanted to hang out with her most of the next day. Cody thought that it was okay and had let Bailey know as such in his response text. After his short texted communication with Bailey on the phone, Cody plopped down on his bed and had let sleep take him and lead him into dream land.

When the next day came, the sun was out. It was a beautiful Saturday morning. Rays of sun seeped their way into the windows of every building on Yale's campus. The sun light truly did not miss Cody and Nick's room for it successfully woke Cody up from his slumber. Cody groggily moaned from the sudden contact of sunlight. He raked his fingers through his bangs before he sat up and slid off his bed to get ready for the day. He had put on a fresh pair of clothing before he brushed his hair and teeth in the common bathroom down the hall. When Cody got back to his dorm room, he spotted a note on Nick's bed. He looked at it with squinted eyes and saw that Nick came back late last night and that he was off back to the lab to continue working on his project. Cody sighed as he knew that he would be lonely most of the day. Cody slumped into his chair at his desk and looked at himself. He was wearing khaki shorts, black vans with white laces and a green t-shirt. He pondered why he was being left alone on the eve of 9/11. To make sure he wasn't second guessing himself, Cody checked his watch and the calendar and knew that it was September 10th, the day before 9/11. Cody threw back his head and stared at the ceiling. He was so bored until he got a new text from Bailey. Cody looked at the text and knew right away with a smile that her plans with Stacy would be cut short and that she would be able to spend the day with Cody. After he gave a reassuring text back that would her know that he was still free, Cody put away his phone in his front right pocket and jumped out of his chair. His whole mood turned a 360 as he knew that he would get to spend more time with Bailey the rest of the day.

It didn't take long for Bailey to arrive at Cody and Nick's dorm room. She arrived right when she said she would from her text that she sent Cody. Bailey arrived at the room by 11 am on the dot. She smoothed out her denim shorts before knocking on the door. Cody opened the door immediately and welcomed Bailey in the room. He looked at her and saw that she was wearing a similar outfit to his own except her style was slightly different from his own since the style of clothing was tailored to their body shapes. Bailey also fashioned black sandals and a red t-shirt. Cody focused on Bailey's brown eyes.

"Hi, Bailey."

Bailey played with fingers in her left hand in a nervous manner as she did often when contemplating how introduce a topic to Cody. She felt bad that she wasn't spending as much time as she could have with Cody lately but she knew he understood since she has been busying in the last few days with Stacy. Cody knew that she was only trying to be a good roommate and he could understand that. Bailey softly bit her lower lip before speaking.

"Hi, Cody. I just want to say that I haven't seen you very much yesterday and I want to make it up to you."

"You don't have to do that, Bailey. I know that you're just trying to spend some time with Stacy. It's okay."

"Even so, I want to make it up to you. What do you want to do?"

"I know the first thing that I want to do."

Bailey stopped fidgeting with her fingers and relaxed her shoulders. She carefully knitted her eyebrows together as to illustrate her confusion.

"What is that? What do you have in mind?"

Cody curled his fingers in fists and then quickly released them back into open palms before he stepped towards Bailey and whispered one simple word.

"This."

Cody swiftly wrapped his arms around Bailey's waist and kissed her on the lips. She was a bit frazzled but then melted into the kiss as she slung her lean arms around Cody's neck and leaned into the kiss. Cody and Bailey kissed for a good minute before Cody decided to break it off. He smiled at Bailey before speaking again.

"We haven't had time to do that in a while and I wanted to do it."

"I do agree that it's been a while since we've last kissed. I've been wanting to do that for a while too."

Cody momentarily nuzzled into Bailey's neck before looking back into her eyes.

"I'm glad we got to do it."

"I'm glad to hear that. What do you want to do next?"

"How about we go on a walk in the park and then have lunch afterwards?"

"That's fine with me. But are we still on for dinner?"

"Of course. You couldn't seriously think that I would let you off the hook so easily once I got all to myself again."

"Who said I was going to leave you?"

"No one did but all I'm saying is that you owe me and once I have you, I don't want to let go."

"I know how you feel and I won't slip away from me."

"Unless you send in a decoy."

"Oh, Cody, you're such a tease."

"And you are too."

"I am not. I'm not going to fool with you and then leave again. I meant what I said when I would make it up to you. I'm going to stay with you."

"I know and thank you. You know, I was only joking."

Bailey gave Cody a small smile and a peck on the cheek in response.

"I know."

"Ready to leave for the park?"

"I am if you are."

"Great. Let me get my ID and keys and we can be on our way, Bailey."

"Okay. I can wait."

Cody grabbed his belongings, left Nick a note and laced his fingers with Bailey's. They walked out the door with Bailey leading the way. Cody locked the door before he and Bailey left the building to go the park that they went to on Labor Day.

The next few hours flew by really fast and Bailey kept her word by making up her missed time with Cody by letting pick what he wanted to do. By the time Cody and Bailey were getting back on campus, it was getting dark. Cody kissed Bailey on the neck and got Bailey's attention. He simply smiled at her before he showed his appreciation towards her.

"Thank you for a wonderful day."

"You mean walking in the park, having lunch and going to a bookstore? It was no problem, Cody. I wanted to prove to you that I wasn't going neglect my time with you."

"Well, I want to thank you for what you've done for me today. Next time, we go out, I get to treat you."

"If that's what you want."

"It is. I want to prove to you how special you are to me. How about tomorrow night?"

"I guess it would be okay. It will give us something positive to think about for tomorrow."

"Great. What should we do now? Do you want to get some dinner at the dining center?"

"I am kind of hungry. I mean we had a light lunch around one and it's almost seven."

"Then let's go. I could use some food too. And remember, Bailey, I'm going to treat you tomorrow."

Bailey light heartedly laughed and responded in a teasing towards Cody.

"Okay, you're the boss."

"Please, don't joke, Bailey. I'm serious. I just want to have a nice night out with my favorite girl."

"Who is she? How come you haven't told me?"

"Very funny, Bailey. You know that you're my favorite girl."

"I know, Cody. I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself."

"All I know is that you're in a giddy mood."

"You were too. I saw how you looked at me when I came by earlier today. Your face lit up brighter than a Christmas tree."

"Could you blame me? I was lonely. I didn't have Nick to talk to and I didn't have you to hang out with."

"I know I can't blame you. If at all, you could blame me for being a bad girlfriend."

Bailey gave Cody a mock pout, trying her very best to look like she was a horrible person. Cody cracked a smile and chuckled a little bit but then returned to his serious facade.

"Bailey, you're not a bad girlfriend. You were being a good roommate and I can't complain that I didn't see you for a few hours. I see you most of the time each week."

Bailey smiled and leaned into Cody's shoulder. Cody kissed the side of Bailey's head while they walked to the dining center. Once they got inside the dining center, Cody and Bailey went through the typical routine of showing their student IDs before trekking inside to get some food. Dinner for the two particular young Yale students was pleasant and quiet. Cody and Bailey contently ate their food in a comfortable silence while sitting next to each other. They didn't need to talk to pass by the time; they just needed the presence of one another. Once Cody and Bailey were satisfied that they had enough to eat, they left the dining center and returned to their building. Cody escorted Bailey back to her room and kissed her goodnight. Bailey smiled at Cody after the kiss and wished him a good night's rest. He replied in a similar fashion and then left. Bailey closed the door and got ready for bed.

When Cody got to his and Nick's dorm room, he saw Nick was on his bed, getting ready to huddle underneath his sheets. Cody quietly closed the door behind him and walked over to his side of the room to get a pair pajamas ready. Cody left the room to change in the common bathroom and came back to the dorm room in a flash. When Cody was about to get all cozy in his bed, Nick looked over at him.

"Cody."

Cody looked over at Nick.

"Yeah Nick?"

"I'm sorry that I have been so busy with my project. Could I try to make it up to you by spending time you?"

"Um, sure. Bailey and I might be together tomorrow but you can come with us except I don't want to be with us when dinner time comes."

"Why is that?"

"Because I offered to treat Bailey to dinner tomorrow night and I don't think that you would be comfortable at a romantic dinner for two."

"Oh, I see. I get you. I understand because I've been able to observe you and Bailey and you two need some catching up to do for quality time over the weekends. Don't worry, Cody. I won't be around."

"Thanks Nick. You know we should hang out some more too."

"In good time we, Cody, in good time but for now we can just hang out for most of the day until it is the evening."

"Will you be okay?"

"Of course. I already have plans for tomorrow night anyway."

"Alright. Well, good night Nick."

"Goodnight, Cody."

Cody turns off the light in the room and fell asleep in his bed. Nick followed closely behind Cody in falling in dream land. The two college boys were content with their dreams regardless how different their dreams were. Nick dreamt of completing his project while Cody dreamt of Bailey.


	7. America Calling 911

It was a nice day weather wise but by history it was a dismal day. A frightening day, really. 9/11 was the date. Ten years ago to the day was when America would be forever affected and changed by the terrorists' attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City. Regardless of the day's horrific history, the sun shone brightly to signify a new day, a new beginning. The rays of sunlight were nicely reciprocated by a sleepy Cody Martin. He didn't moan unlike the morning before. Rather he happily stretched out his limbs, got out of bed with a spring in his step and got changed in the common bathroom. He came back to the dorm room in a short time. He sat down at his desk and prepared himself for wave of emotions to come later in the day. He thought of what he could do to remind himself of the particular day and thought that he could best describe his emotions in a poem and that is what he did. He wrote a tribute poem for the tenth anniversary of 9/11. When Cody was done writing the poem, he stood from his desk and walked over to Nick's bed to wake him up since it was eight.

Nick slowly rose from his bed when he felt Cody gently shaking his shoulder to wake up. He got up and went through his usual morning routine. Once he was ready, Cody was standing in the middle of the room waiting for his return. Nick was curious as to why Cody acting in a particular way.

"Cody, why are you standing in the middle of the room?"

"I was waiting for you so we could go get some breakfast before going down to New York to the visit the memorial grounds. You'll get to see how America has been affected by a terrorist attack."

"What about Bailey?"

"We're going to pick her up before we head for breakfast."

"Oh, I see. Never mind then."

"I suggest that you grab a light jacket or sweatshirt in case it gets a little breezy down in New York."

Nick shrugged his shoulders as he walked over to his side to get a light jacket. Cody went to his side and had put on a navy blue zip-up sweatshirt that went well with his ensemble of cool colored clothing that consisted of dark jeans, black vans, and a green shirt with diagonal purple stripes. Cody was near the door before he turned his head towards Nick.

"Are you ready?"

Nick was wearing black sneakers, black pants, a blue shirt and a white cotton jacket. He looked at himself and checked if he had his keys and ID in his jacket's pocket and then looked back at Cody. He gave his roommate a small smile indicating that he was ready to leave. Cody nodded in Nick's direction before grabbing his poem and opening the door. He let Nick out first and locked the door behind the two of them afterwards. When Nick and Cody got up Bailey and Stacy's room, Nick leaned against the wall while Cody knocked on the door. Nick looked over at Cody.

"You know Cody; this will be the first time I will get to officially meet Bailey."

"I'm glad that you're excited to meet her because she's a great person."

"That's what I have been hearing from you about her."

"I'm sure you'll like her."

"Good. Now knock on her door a little louder."

As Nick had instructed, Cody knocked on the door a little louder and was quickly answered by Bailey. She was wearing original colored skin tight jeans, a pink blouse, red flats and a red sweater. She smiled as soon as she saw Cody's face.

"Hi, Cody."

"Hi, Bailey. I'm sorry but I didn't have time to tell you that Nick will be joining us for a while. I hope that's okay."

"Oh, sure it is. It'll be fun since we haven't met yet."

"Great. We're going to get some breakfast and then head down to Ground Zero to go visit the memorial site for the 9/11 victims."

"Okay, I'll just leave Stacy note stating what I'll for the day."

Bailey turned around from Cody momentarily to write a note for Stacy and then turned back to him. She walked through the door and locked it. Bailey held onto Cody's hand and saw a boy leaning against the wall. Cody introduced her to Nick.

"Bailey this is Nick. Nick this is Bailey."

Nick pushed himself off the wall and extended his hand for Bailey to take. Bailey smiled at Nick and shook his hand.

"Nice to finally meet you, Nick."

"It is pleasure to have met you too, Bailey."

Bailey and Nick give each other a friendly smile before letting go from their handshake. Cody looked back and forth between Nick and Bailey before settling his eyes on Bailey.

"Well, I guess we should get something to eat before we head down to New York."

Bailey and Nick nodded at Cody in agreement in union. Nick then turned around and led the three of them down to the dining center. Cody and Bailey trailed behind Nick with a slightly slower pace. Bailey leaned into Cody's ear and asked him a question in a low voice.

"Will he be with us the whole day?"

"Don't worry. He won't be with us for tonight. He has other plans. He just wanted to come along because like you, he felt bad for leaving me by myself and wanted to make it up to me."

"Cody, if you were that lonely, you should have called me sooner."

"Yeah, but I didn't feel like intruding on your bonding time with Stacy."

"Spending time with her was okay but it wasn't the most important thing in the world. If you were calling me, I would have just politely excused myself to call you back."

"Yeah but still I would have been interrupting your time with Stacy."

"Oh well. I spent time with Stacy, Nick did what he did and you were alone. It wasn't the end of the world but I still felt bad."

"It's okay. A little alone time was good for me. I mean it might have felt weird for me since I am so used to being around other people most of the time that I'm conscious. But I survived and I'm fine."

Bailey grinned to herself and then gave Cody a quick peck on the cheek.

"That's my trooper."

"Thanks Bailey."

Bailey smiled at Cody before returning her attention back on the path before her and Cody. Then she lightly squeezed Cody's hand. The young Yale students walked in comfortable silence for rest of the way to the dining center with their mutual friend walking in front of them.

It didn't take long for the trio of friends to get to the dining center, eat food to fuel their systems and leave. What took them a relatively longer time was getting into Cody's car and leaving the campus. But once the tedious task of getting breakfast and leaving campus was over with it was just a smooth a silent drive from New Haven to New York. It was roughly an hour and fifty minute drive but it didn't seem that long for any one of the Yalies. During the car trip, Cody was dead focused on the road in front of him while Bailey and Nick were looking at the passing by scenery off the road. Once they arrived in New York, Cody took fifteen minutes to find a parking lot. By the time that they arrived, it was close to eleven thirty in the morning.

"Okay, you two, we're here."

Bailey and Nick stretched out their limbs before they got out of the car. Cody locked the car doors before he got out and then closed his door. The three of them walked to the memorial site of the 9/11 victims. Bailey felt a chill run down her spine as she walked alongside Cody and Nick. She subconsciously looped her arms around Cody's right one. After a while of walking, the three college students stopped at a grave site. A young man stood over a grave and placed a football and a note at what seemed to be a family members grave. He appeared to be a few years older than they were. Cody, Bailey and Nick walked up to young man and he noticed their presence but didn't turn his head. Cody cautiously started a conversation with him.

"May I ask what you're doing?"

"I'm replacing my football and note with new ones each year. I give my dad the same football and the same message to remind myself of how I felt as a child and to let my dad know that I am still waiting to see him again and play football. Cody, Bailey and Nick looked down at the ground in sorrow. They then spotted the young man's note that he refurbished for his childhood memory. The note read: "Dear Daddy, please take this to Heaven. I don't want to play football until I can play with you again someday." Cody, Bailey and Nick got a bit teary eyed by the message but wondered why the young man next to them would want to remind himself of something so heart-breaking. They just thought that maybe it was okay to remind yourself of how grateful of what you still have in your life. It was all silent until Nick broke it.

"That is just awful. You don't want to play football anymore without your dad not around?"

"I just want to remind myself that I made a promise to my father. I will make sure that I will get to the same place as he is when I leave this life" the young man sadly stated.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I am sorry for asking."

"No, it's okay. Well, I better be off soon before I breakdown and can't make myself to move from this spot."

The young man looked down at his father's grave one last time and focused on the stone carving.

"Good bye, father. I'll see you next year."

With those last words, the young man left.

Frowns were etched on Cody, Bailey and Nick's faces. They felt sick to their stomachs. Cody and Bailey were more affected by the memories of the day than Nick would ever be because he was safe in Greece while they either witnessed the collapse of the Twin Towers on the TV or heard about it on the radio. While the three of them felt bad for what happened ten years prior, they heard a soft voice from an elderly lady mumbling the words at a grave site. Cody and Bailey turned their heads and saw a lady at a headstone which they presumed was her husband's. Cody and Bailey left Nick to sniffle to go over to the lady. They didn't walk over the whole way but just enough to hear what she had to say. The elderly woman spoke with a soft voice.

"Oh, Michael, why did you have to go? I loved you so and I still do. I wish I could have held you one last time before you left me behind. I wish I could have had the chance to say goodbye. I suppose I could say farewell to you like I have for the past ten years. Farewell, Michael. Semper Fi, my love."

Cody wiped away a few stray tears from his face while Bailey just dug her crestfallen head into his shoulder. Even though they felt empathy for the woman, Cody and Bailey decided to approach the woman. Cody spoke first with a shaky voice.

"H-hello, Ma'am."

The elderly woman turned toward Cody and Bailey. She gave them at sad smile as she knew that they were in love with each other. Oh how she had yearned to be young again. She hadn't been Cody and Bailey's age in quite a long time.

"Hello. Who are you?"

"We're sorry but we overheard you speak to what we could guess was your husband's grave."

"You have guesses right. I was paying a visit to my Michael. I'm Shannon Spann by the way."

"What did Mr. Spann do?"

"Michael was a CIA officer and a Marine. He died in Mazar-e Shariff."

"Sounds like he was a great man."

"Oh, he was. It's a shame that he died."

"We're sorry for your loss."

"Oh, I'll be alright. I usually am able to hold up pretty well for most of the year until I come by here to visit Michael."

"I couldn't imagine how tough it would be on me if I knew that my one true love died before I could say goodbye", Bailey commented.

"Well, dear, I'm sure you won't have to worry about that. Besides, don't torture yourself by thinking about it. You're still so young. You have your whole life in front of you unlike me. Most of my life is behind me."

"You're right, Mrs. Spann. But I can't help but feel sympathetic for you. Today isn't happiest one of the year for many of us."

"I know but that's life. Que sera sera. Sadly enough, we must move on in our lives."

"Are you going to be okay, Mrs. Spann?"

"Oh, yes, I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern, young man. You best take care of yourself and your special lady friend. You better not let go of her."

Cody gave the elderly woman a promising smile.

"I won't. I'll make sure of that."

"Well good. I guess that I'll be off now. Maybe you two should go and visit the memorial museum."

"That would be a good idea."

"I think we should do it, Cody."

The elderly woman smiled to herself as she got to see young love bloom before her eyes again. It was so refreshing to see young people in love no matter what, no matter the worst of times and the best of times.

"Good bye to you two."

"Good bye. Mrs. Spann." Cody and Bailey said together.

Mrs. Spann left with her heart feeling a little lighter than when it was when she came. Bailey and Cody watched Mrs. Spann leave for just a bit. Bailey then turned her head toward Cody.

"We should get Nick and bring him to the museum."

"We should and that's what we're going to do."

Cody and Bailey turn back to where they left Nick and told him that they were going to the museum next. He joined them and they made their way to the 9/11 memorial museum. Once they got through admissions, they walked around the museum looking at all the exhibits and reading the stories with respect, pondering how it must have felt to be in New York ten years ago. Once Cody, Bailey and Nick were done with viewing the exhibits of the museum, they agreed on having some lunch since it was almost one in the afternoon. They grabbed a bite to eat at a small café nearby. When they were done with lunch they took refuge in a park to let all that they had felt seep in and then let go. Nick was a little thirsty walking around in the park so he went off to find a drinking fountain whereas Cody and Bailey found a bench to sit down at so they could reflect what was on their minds.

Cody and Bailey were talking about what emotions 9/11 brought up for them at their current ages and what it meant to them as kids. They talked for a good while before Nick came back all well and hydrated. He sat down next to his friends to see what they had been talking about.

"Hello, my friends. What is on your minds?"

"Hi, Nick. Bailey and I were just talking about what we were thinking when 9/11 happen when we were kids and how the memory still haunts us to this day."

"I see. Maybe we could best wrap up what we need to remember and how to keep hope with something."

"Like what?"

"Like your poem, Cody. Come on! How could you not think about it? Didn't you write it for a reason?"

Bailey turned to Cody.

"You wrote a poem for today?"

Cody sighed as he remembered that he did in fact write a poem for 9/11.

"I did write a poem. It's a tribute poem."

"Well, let's hear it."

"Alright, I guess it couldn't hurt."

Cody stood up from his spot on the bench and walked a few feet away. He then stuck his right hand into his sweatshirt's pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it, looked at Bailey and Nick and then focused his eyes on the words in front of him.

For all the pain and suffering

What is left for US?

How horrible it must have felt

To see the Twin Towers go down

Down in smoke and fire

It's scary to know

A terrorist attack has affected US forever

Deep down in our hearts

There will be pain and suffering

On 9/11

For the remembrance of the victims

And their loved ones

What are we to do now?

A painful memory still beats US down

Somewhere we are still broken

What can we do now?

To take away the pain and suffering

What is left for US now?

All that is left is hope

Hope is what we have

Hope is what can help bring US around

And ease the painful memory

For such a heartbreaking day

No one shall lose sight of what we stand for

We may be broken but we can still be US

We can still be the home of the brave

And land of the free

We will not let the memory of 9/11

Put US down

We shall break away from the pain

And fly away

Just the same as an Eagle

We can be free of 9/11

If we choose to be

Cody finished his poem with a calm sigh and a breath of air. He looked up from the piece of paper and saw that Bailey and Nick were speechless. They had a few tears brimming at the edge of their eyes but other than that they were fine. Nick composed himself fairly easily but Bailey just sat still. Cody slowly inched his way back to his spot next to Bailey and sat down next to her. He placed a comforting hand on her back and started to rub her back. Bailey momentarily looked at Cody and then stared into the space in front of her before leaning into Cody's shoulder. A few moments passed by before Bailey spoke.

"I think we should go back to Yale."

Cody looked at Bailey and then back at the view before them. He uttered a very cut and dry answer.

"Ok."

"Are we leaving now?"

"Yes, Nick."

"Okay. That's fine with me."

Nick got up from the bench and went back to the car. Cody looked at Bailey and removed his hand from her back.

"Bailey, come on, let's go back to Yale. We still have a dinner to have together. I know it's tough not to be sad today but that doesn't mean we can't try to cheer ourselves up."

Bailey looked up to Cody and gave him a sad smile. She got up and walked hand-in-hand with him back to the car where Nick would be waiting. As soon as they all got back in the car, Cody turned on the engine and drove out of the parking lot and on to the road that led back to Yale's campus in New Haven. For the whole car drive back to New Have, everyone was silent. Cody was focused on the road, Bailey stared blankly at the outside from her window and Nick was asleep. By the time that the trio got back from Ground Zero, it was four thirty in the afternoon. Cody, Bailey and Nick got of the car and Cody locked it. Nick looked at his watch and then looked over at Cody and Bailey.

"Well, I better be off. It was nice hanging out with you two. Goodbye Bailey. I'll see you later, Cody."

"Bye, Nick."

"See you later, Nick."

Nick left as soon as Cody and Bailey said their farewells to Nick. Cody looked over at Bailey for a short moment before he made is way over to her. He garbed her hand and led her back to their building. Bailey's lightened up as the seconds passed but seemed a bit tired. Cody was worried about Bailey but he stayed silent as he escorted her back to her and Stacy's room. Cody had let go of Bailey's hand when they were at the door.

"Will you be okay, Bailey?"

"Yeah. I just need to take a nap."

"Are you still game for dinner tonight?"

"As long as it isn't a fancy place."

Cody had to stifle a chuckle as he knew that Bailey was joking.

"Of course, Bailey. Our dinner date will be completely casual."

Bailey gave Cody a sincere, small smile.

"Wonderful."

"See you at six?"

"That's fine."

"Okay, see you later, sweetie."

Cody kissed Bailey on the cheek and then left. Bailey held her cheek for a bit to savor the memory of Cody's soft lips on her skin. She smiled to herself before opening the door to her dorm room. Bailey didn't see Stacy anywhere in the room so she got out her alarm clock and plopped down on her bed for a nap.

An hour and a half later, Bailey's alarm clock went off and she woke up instantly. She turned it off, got off her bed and fixed her hair. By the time she was refreshed, she heard a knock on the door. She opened it with a smile on her face as she knew that Cody was on the other side. He greeted her with a shy smile and offered his arm to her. She walked out of the room, locked the door and took Cody's arm. They walked towards a little café that they went to before that was fairly close to the campus.

When they were at the café, they felt better than they did most of the day. Cody ordered a sandwich while Bailey had ordered tomato soup. They both had glasses of water. The dinner went smoothly and gave Cody and Bailey some time to unwind from such an emotional day. They talked about topics that they liked to talk about like science and math to take their minds off death and 9/11 in general. When the bill came, Cody paid for it. Bailey thanked Cody for a great evening and he simply smiled at her. While they waited for the waiter to bring back Cody's credit card, Bailey wanted to let Cody know something. She looked into his blue eyes with a hint of green and took a deep breath.

"Cody."

"Yeah, Bailey?"

"After today and especially after hearing Mrs. Spann talking about Mr. Spann, I don't think that I could handle you being gone…like that. I could barely stand it when we were broken up but I can't even imagine thinking about losing you forever."

Cody reached over the table and held onto Bailey's clutched hands with his own gentle ones. He looked deeply into her eyes.

"Bailey, I won't let you worry about that sort of thing because I will make sure that you won't have to. If I die before you then it better be when we're an old married couple who's lived with each for fifty or more years. I promise you that neither one of us is going to die young."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know that our love is strong and true. I can gather strength for you and from you as long as we are together."

"I like the sound of that. You always know what to say."

"Well, you know, I try."

Bailey smiled at Cody.

"You're silly, you know that?"

"I know."

By the time Cody and Bailey finished their conversation, the waiter came back with Cody's credit card. The waiter left as Cody retrieved his card. Him and Bailey stood up from their table and pushed in their seats. They linked hands together and left the café. On their way back to campus, Cody got Bailey a simple red rose. The stem wasn't long and there were no thorns at all. When they got back on campus, Cody and Bailey walked to their building and up to Bailey's floor. They stopped in front of Bailey's room for the last time of the day. Bailey twirled the rose that Cody got for her in her dainty fingers. She thought of something and had to ask.

"Cody?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think things will be like for us in a couple weeks?"

"I have no idea but I'm sure that the coming weeks will be better than the kind of day that we had."

"That probably is true. But we did make up for it tonight."

"Yes, we did."

"Well, good night, Cody. Life keeps moving on even if we don't want it to."

"Isn't that the truth. Well, at any rate, I hope that if life moves along when we don't want it to that I'll be allowed to be near you anytime."

"Oh, Cody…"

"Good night, Bailey."

"Good night, Cody."

Cody pecks Bailey on the lips and then leaves. Bailey smiles to herself before opening the door to her room. Bailey gets ready for bed, finds a vase for the single rose and goes to sleep. By the time Bailey was asleep, Cody was about ready to fall asleep himself. He saw Nick come into the room so he waited until Nick was ready for bed. Cody nuzzled himself underneath his sheets and waited for Nick to turn off the light to the room. The night came in a flash and admission to dreamland was free. Life would continue to keep on moving. There would be no question that Cody, Bailey and Nick would continue their studies at Yale and Zack and Bob would continue their studies at Roxbury. But what about other people in the world? Whatever life had in store for just about anybody, it would come in all shapes and sizes. No one could tell what happen or what was going to happen in any amount of time. For the next few weeks that were to come, anything could happen.

To Be Continued…. (By a different author)

**Ps. Some of the material that I used about 9/11 came from an article that I read for a class. If you're interested go to Bush State of the Union address on . While other parts were of course made up. I just wanted to clarify a few things.**


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